Twenty  Lessons 
Poultry 


^OT- PATTERSON 

AMERICAN  POULTRY AS^N. 


Nnrtlf  Olaroltna  ^tnU 


This  book  was  presented  by 

Animal    Industry   Dept ; 
SF4S7 
P3 


NORTH 


CAROLINA  STATE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 


S00961642  S 


SF487 

P3 Patte-Pi 


DATE 


87294 

-^eni  This  book  may  be  kept  out  TWO  WEEKS 

ONLY,    and    is    subject    to    a    fine    of    FIVE 
poultry.       CENTS   a   day   thereafter.   It   is   due   on   the 
-       day  indicated  below: 


ms 


-^- JfJl3^ 


20Decs(S-f 


(2 


<iO  Se4S 
20l)«'55y 

JAN  1 2 19 


OtC  1  8  t9$5 


^ 


^^ 


•^ 


1*^'  4  t 


7. 


5M— D-45— Form 


)93 


;^ 


iP. 


A  FLOCK  OF  PEKIN   DUCKS.     FOWLS  OX    THE   RANGE.     POULTRY 
STUDENTS  HOLDING  AN  EXHIBITION  ON  THE  STREET. 


TWENTY   LESSONS 


ON 


POULTRY  KEEPING 

AN  ELEMENTARY  TREATISE 
PREPARED  UNDER  THE  DIRECTION  OF 
THE  AMERICAN  POULTRY  ASSOCIATION 


BY 

C.  T.  PATTERSON 

PATHOLOGIST    AND    PROFESSOR    IN    CHARGE    OF    THE    EXPERIMENTAL   AND   EXTENSION 
DEPARTMENT    OF  THE    MISSOURI   STATE    POULTRY    EXPERIMENTAL  STATION 


AND  EDITED  BY 

FRANK  E.  BERING 


WITH  FULL-PAGE   FRONTISPIECE 
AND  55  ILLUSTRATIONS  IN  TEXT 


PHILADELPHIA  AND  LONDON 
J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,    I916,    BY 
AMERICAN   POULTRY   ASSOCIATION 


PRINTED    BY    J.    B.    LIPPINCOTT    COMPANY 

AT  THE  WASHINGTON  SQUARE  PRESS 

PHILADELPHIA,    U.  8.  A. 


FOREWORD 

The  poultry  business,  once  regarded  as  of  small  conse- 
quence, has  come  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  our  important 
food-supplying  industries.  Both  the  flesh  and  eggs  of  poul- 
try have  become  standard  articles  of  diet.  Eggs  have  been 
found  to  be  a  good  substitute  for  meat ;  people  of  all  nations 
eat  more  of  them  than  of  aiiy  other  kind  of  food.  Conse- 
quently, there  is  a  large  and  steady  demand  for  poultry 
products. 

Indeed,  no  other  farm  products,  save,  perhaps,,  those 
of  the  dairy,  give  as  great  a  return  as  poultry  for  the  time 
and  money  invested.  Even  when  no  especial  emphasis  is 
laid  upon  the  raising  of  fowls,  they  prove  profitable  to  their 
owners.  On  the  average  farm,  the  outlay  for  food  for  poul- 
try is  very  small.  They  can  be  fed,  in  part,  with  the  waste 
from  the  table.  They  can  supplement  tliis  food  with  scraps 
and  scattered  grain,  and  with  insects  picked  up  about  the 
farm  and  barnyard.  It  is  a  matter  of  economy  for  a 
farmer  to  keep  at  least  as  many  chickens  as  can  find  a  living 
for  themselves;  for  they  do  more  than  supply  eggs  and 
meat  for  family  use.     As  a  rule,  the  eggs  and  fowls  sold 

iii 


87294 


iv  FOREWORD 

go  a  long  way  toward  buying  groceries,  or  toward  paying 
some  of  the  otlier  regular  expenses  of  the  farm  home. 

The  people  of  to-day  are  demanding  vocational  courses 
in  the  public  schools.  In  response  to  their  demand,  a  study 
of  practical  agriculture  has  been  made  a  part  of  the  school 
work  in  many  States.  A  very  important  subdivision  of  this 
study  is  poultry  raising.  As  a  type  study  tte  subject  of 
poultry  raising  will  be  found  to  appeal  to  both  boys  and 
girls,  large  and  small,  rich  and  poor,  in  town  and  in  coun- 
try. Moreover,  it  deserves  a  place  in  the  school  curriculum 
because  of  the  increasing  importance  of  the  poultry  indus- 
tries. The  raising  of  fowls  should  prove  a  profitable  voca- 
tion for  any  enterprising  young  man  or  woman,  as  well 
as  a  pleasant,  remunerative  ''  side  line  "  for  the  farmer  or 
the  suburbanite. 

The  American  Poultry  Association  is  anxious  that  the 
boys  and  girls  of  America  be  given  some  correct  and  definite 
knowledge  concerning  poultry  raising  before  they  start  on 
their  life's  work.  Because  so  many  children  leave  school 
about  the  time  they  complete  their  elementary  course,  this 
book  has  been  prepared  especially  for  the  use  of  the  seventh 
and  eighth  grades.  It  is  intended  to  be  studied  in  connec- 
tion with  the  subject  of  practical  agriculture. 

We  hope  this  little  volume  will  meet  the  demands  of 


FOREWORD  V 

both  teacher  and  pupils — that  the  teacher  will  find  it  of  as- 
sistance in  leading  the  children,  and  that  the  children  them- 
selves will  find  it   an   aid  toward  making  the   study  of 
poultry  both  pleasant  and  profitable.     To  this  end,  we  dedi- 
cate the  book  to  the  teachers  and  pupils  of  America. 
Respectfully  yours, 
The  American"  Poultry  Association, 
E.  B.  Thompson,  President, 
S.  T.  Campbell,  Secretary, 
C.  T.  Patterson,  Author, 
Frank  E.  Hering,  Editor. 

November,    1915. 


CONTENTS 


LESSON  PAGE 

I.  Origin  and  History  of  Fowls 1 

II.  Nomenclature  Diagram  of  Fowl 5 

III.  Characteristics  of  Fowls 6 

IV.  Breeds  and  Varieties 13 

V.  Breeds  and  Varieties  (Continued) 15 

VI.  Breeds  and  Varieties  (Continued) 26 

VII.  Turkeys,  Ducks  and  Geese 28 

VIII.  Judging 33 

IX.  Housing 38 

X.  Equipment 43 

XI.  Yarding  and  Fencing 48 

XII.  Feeds  and  Feeding 52 

XIII.  Feeding  the  Baby  Chicks 57 

XIV.  Mating 60 

XV.  Incubation 63 

XVI.  Brooding 68 

XVII.  Enemies 71 

XVIII.  Diseases 75 

XIX.  Care  and  Management 79 

XX.  Review 83 

Appendix: 

Glossary  of  Technical  Terms 85 

Clubs  and  Contests 89 

The  School  Fair 92 


vu 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

FIG.  PAGE 

A  Flock  of  Pekin  Ducks.  Fowls  on  the  Range.  Poultry  Students 

Holding  an  Exhibition  on  the  Street Frontispiece 

L  Nomenclature  Diagram  of  Male 4 

2.  Shanks  and  Feet 7 

3.  Different  Kinds  of  Comb 8 

4.  Sections  of  a  Feather 9 

5.  Laced  Feather 9 

6.  Spangled  Feather 9 

7.  Penciling,  Crescentic  Form 9 

8.  Penciling,  Parallel  Form 10 

9.  Barred  Feather 10 

10.  Striped  Neck  (Hackle)  Feather,  Male 11 

11.  Black  Langshans 16 

12.  Single  Comb  Black  Minorcas 16 

13.  Buff  Cochins 17 

14.  Single  Comb  Buff  Leghorns 17 

15.  Buff  Plymouth  Rocks 18 

16.  Single  Comb  Buff  Orpingtons 18 

17.  White  Plymouth  Rocks 19 

18.  Single  Comb  White  Orpingtons 19 

19.  Single  Comb  White  Leghorns 20 

20.  White  Wyandottes 20 

21.  Light  Brahmas '. 21 

22.  Dark  Brahmas 21 

23.  Barred  Plymouth  Rocks 22 

24.  Silver  Wyandottes 22 

25.  Single  Comb  Rhode  Island  Reds 23 

26.  Cornish 23 

27.  Partridge  Cochins 24 

28.  Single  Comb  Brown  Leghorns 24 

29.  Houdans 25 

30.  Silver  Spangled  Hamburgs 25 

31.  Children  Describing  Breeds  and  Varieties 26 

The  Jungle  Fowl 27 

ix 


X  ILLUSTRATIONS 

32.  Bronze  Turkey 28 

33.  Pekin  Ducks 29 

34.  Runner  Ducks 30 

35.  Toulouse  Geese 31 

36.  A  Building  Which  Insures  Good  Circulation  of  Air 38 

37.  Location  of  the  House 39 

38.  Colony  House 40 

39.  Section  of  House  Showing  Roosts,  Dropping  Board  and  Nests  43 

40.  Indoor  Feed  Hopper 44 

41.  Outdoor  Feed  Hopper 45 

42.  Broody  Coop 46 

43.  A  Good  Poultry  Yard  Fence 49 

44.  Two  Poultry  Yards 50 

45.  Internal  Organs  of  Hen 53 

46.  Digestive  Organs  of  Baby  Chick 57 

47.  Hatching  Box 63 

48.  Twenty-four-Hour  Old  Chick 64 

49.  Brood  of  Incubator  Chicks 66 

50.  Brooding  Coop 69 

51.  Pupils  Naming  Broods  and  Varieties 90 

52.  Children  Building  Exhibition  Coops 90 

53.  Pupils  After  a  Contest,  with  Their  Winnings 91 

54.  Pupils  with  Chickens 91 


TWENTY    LESSONS    ON 
POULTRY     KEEPING 

LESSOISr  I 
The  Origin  and  History  of  Fowls 

Many  hundreds  of  years  ago,,  before  dawn  of  civili- 
zation, man  lived  by  hunting  and  fishing.  When  he  had 
caught  and  killed  all  the  game  in  any  one  place,  it  became 
necessary  for  him  to  move  to  another  region,  where  he  could 
find  a  fresh  food  supply.  But  finally  he  became  tired  of 
this  wandering  life  and  decided  to  settle  down  and  live  in 
one  place  which  he  could  call  home.  Then,  in  order  to  be 
sure  of  having  enough  to  eat,  he  was  forced  to  tame  some 
animals  and  to  cultivate  some  plants  for  food. 

It  is  thought  that  the  fowl  was  one  of  the  first  animals 
to  be  domesticated,  or  tamed.  Perhaps  that  was  because  a 
fowl,  once  caught  and  its  wing  feathers  clipped,  could  not 
get  away  as  easily  as  other  animals.  Whatever  the  reason, 
it  is  certain  that  many  hundreds  of  years  ago  wild  Aseel  and 
Jungle  fowls  were  captured  and  tamed  by  the  tribes  of 
India. 

Open  your  geographies  and  find  India.     Many  cen- 
turies ago,  men  wandered  from  that  country  across  the 
Himalaya  ]\lountains  into  China.     With  them,  they  took 
I  some  tamed  Aseel  fowls.      These  fowls  were  large,  angular 


t>.  H.  HILL  LIBRARY 

North  Carolina  State  College 


2  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

birdsj  very  clumsy  and  not  at  all  attractive  in  appearance. 
For  many  centuries  they  were  bred  in  China.  To-day  their 
descendants,  among  which  are  the  large  fowls  known  as  the 
Erahma,  Cochin  and  Langshan,  are  scattered  all  over  the 
world. 

Xow  all  the  poultry  that  have  their  origin  i-n  any  one 
region  are  said  to  belono-  to  a  certain  class,  which  u?uallv 
bears  the  name  of  that  region.  Accordingly,  we  say  that  the 
Brahma,  Cochin,  Langshan  and  other  types  developed  in 
Asia  belong  to  the  Asiatic  class. 

But  not  all  of  the  men  who  left  India  for  other  parts  of 
the  world  went  into  China.  Some  wandered  to  the  north- 
east, and  settled. in  the  countries  around  the  Mediterranean 
Sea.  With  them  they  took  some  Jungle  fowls — small,  ac- 
tive, nervous  birds,  which,  after  many  himdreds  of  years, 
developed  into  the  class  of  fowls  we  know  as  the  Mediter- 
ranean class.  These  fowls  are  noted  for  laying  great  num- 
bers of  large,  white  eggs.  Among  them  are  the  Leghorn, 
Minorca  and  Spanish  fowls. 

Thus  there  came  into  being  the  two  principal  classes  of 
chickens — the  large  Asiatic  type,  best  fitted  for  meat  pro- 
ducing, and  the  small,  active,  Mediterranean  type,  espe- 
cially adapted  for  egg  producing. 

When  men  first  crossed  tlie  Atlantic  Ocean  and  settled 
in  America,  they  brouglit  with  them  both  Asiatic  and  Medi- 
terranean fowls.     In  order  to  insure  a  supply  of  both  meat 


ORIGIN  AND  HISTORY  OF  FOWLS  3 

and  eggs,  it  was  necessary  to  keep  both  classes  of  birds — 
which  meant,  as  may  readily  be  seen,  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
and  inconvenience. 

In  order  to  do  away  with  some  of  this  unnecessary 
trouble,  there  was  developed  in  America  a  new  class  of  fowls 
called  dual  purpose  fowls,  because  they  combined  the  quali- 
ties of  the  two  original  classes,  producing  both  eggs  and 
meat.  This  new  type  of  birds  was  developed  by  crossing 
and  recrossing  Mediterranean  and  Asiatic  breeds.  Some 
of  the  principal  breeds  thus  produced  are  the  Plymouth 
Kocks,  the  Wyandottes,  and  the  Rhode  Island  Reds.  These, 
with  some  others,  form  the  Aynerican  class  of  fowls. 

It  is  not  necessary  now  to  go  into  the  origin  of  our 
domestica-ted  turkeys,  ducks,  and  geese.  Their  line  of 
descent,  like  that  of  the  chicken,  can  be  traced  back  directly 
to  w41d  fowls  of  more  or  less  remote  times. 

QUESTIONS 

1.  When  were   poultry  first  tamed? 

2.  Why  were  fowls  tamed? 

3.  How   were   fowls    tamed? 

4.  Where  were  the  large,  meat  fowls  originated? 

5.  Where  were  the   small,   eg^g  fowls   originated? 
G.   Explain    the    meaning    of    "  class." 

7.  Explain  the  meaning  oi   the  term   "  dual  purpose  fowls." 

8.  Where  and  how  were  the  dual  purpose  fowls  developed? 

9.  Name  the  classes  we  have  studied. 

10.  Name  some  breeds   of   fowls   included   in   each  class. 


4  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 


FiQ.  1. — Nomenclature  diagram  of  male.  1,  head;  2,  beak;  3,  nostril;  4,  comb; 
5,  face;  6,  eye;  7,  wattle;  8,  ear;  9,  ear-lobe;  10,  hackle;  11,  front  of  hackle; 
12,  breast;  13,  cape;  14,  shoulders;  15,  wing-bow;  16,  wing-front;  17,  wing-coverts, 
wing-bar;  18,  secondaries,  wing-bay;  19,  primaries;  flights;  20,  primary  coverts; 
21,  back;  22,  saddle;  23,  saddle  feathers;  24,  sickles;  25,  smaller  sickles;  26,  tail 
coverts;  27-27,  main  tail  feathers:  28,  body  feathers;  29,  fluff;  30.  thighs;  31-31, 
hocks;  32-32.  shanks;  33-33,  spurs;  34-34;  feet;  35-35-35,   toes;  36-36,  toe  nails. 


LESSOR  II 

Nomenclature  Diagram  of  Fowl 

The  illustration  opposite  gives  the  various  sections  of  a 
fowl,  with  their  names.  It  is  essential  that  this  diagram  be 
carefully  studied,  and  the  names  of  the  parts  learned. 

Draw  an  outline  of  a  fowl  on  the  blackboard. 

Number  and  name  the  sections  from  memory. 


1.... 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

,.  ...     8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29... 

30 

31 

32 

33 

34 

35 

36 

HOME  WORK 
Handle   some   fowls   at  home,   locating   each   section. 


LESSOX  III 

Charactekistics  of  Fowls 
We  have  learned  that  the  fowls  which  had  their  origin 
in  a  certain  region  are  said  to  belong  to  a  class  which  is 
usually  named  after  that  region.  All  of  the  fowls  of  one 
class,  however,  are  not  necessarily  alike.  Those  which  re- 
semble one  another  in  certain  characteristics,  such  as  size 
and  shape,  are  said  to  belong  to  some  particular  breed.  For 
instance,  the  Brahma  and  Cochin  chickens  both  belong  to  tlie 
Asiatic  class,  but  a  difference  in  size  and  shape  shows  that 
they  are  of  separate  breeds. 

A  common  means  of  distinguishing  breeds  is  found  in  the 
appearance  of  shanks  and  feet.  Some  of  these  types  are 
shown  in  Fig.  2.  The  most  common  breeds  are  those  hav- 
ing four  toes  and  smooth  shanks.  Some  breeds,  however, 
have  feathers  on  shanks  and  toes,  and  there  are  a  few^  five- 
toed  breeds. 

Fowls  may  be  of  the  same  size  and  shape,  but  may  differ 
or  vary  in  color,  shape  of  comb,  etc.  It  is  from  such  dif- 
ferences that  we  get  the  various  varieties  of  chickens. 

In  Fig.  3  are  shown  different  types  of  comhs.  Be  sure 
to  learn  the  names  of  each  kind  as  well  as  the  names  of  the 
different  parts  of  each  comb. 

While  some  of  the  varieties  of  poultry,  such  as  the  single 
and  rose  comb  varieties  of  the  Leghorn  breed,  are  formed 
6 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  FOWLS  7 

by  a  variation  of  the  comb,  a  far  greater  number  are  formed 
by  variations  in  color.     Accordingly,  before  studying  the 


Fia.  2. — Shanks  and  feet;  A,  fouf  toes  and  smooth  shanks;  B,  five  toes  and  smooth 
shanks;  C,  feathers  on  shanks  and  toes. 

different  breeds,  we  should  gain  some  idea  of  the  colors  and 
color  combinations  which  are  the  distinguishing  marks  of 
the  varieties. 


TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 


A  type  of  Single  Comb 
(ideal).  1,  base;  2,  points; 
3.  blade.  For  other  types  see 
Plymouth  Rocks,  Minorcas, 
Javas,   etc. 


A  type  of  Rose  Comb 
(ideal).  1,  base;  2,  rounded 
points;  3,  spike.  See  Dia- 
gram of  Fowl  (Fig.  1.)  for  ideal 
Wyandotte  comb. 


Pea    Comb,    quartering    view 
(ideal). 


Sultan  Head,  male  (ideal).   1,  V-shaped 
comb;  2,  crest;   3,  muffs;  4,  beard. 


Strawberry  Comb  (ideal). 
Fig.  3. — Different  kinds  of  combs 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  FOWLS 


9 


Fig.  4  shows  the  parts  of  a  feather  and  gives  their  names. 
In  case  a  chicken  is  of  a  solid  color,  that  fact  is  indicated 
in  the  name  so  it  is  not  necessary  to  discuss  the  solid-col- 


QUILL  OR 
SHAFT 


Fig.  4. 


-Sections  of  a  feather. 


ored  varieties  here.     Where  the  feathers  are  marked,  how- 
ever, the  naming  of  the  varieties  is  much  more  difficult. 
A  feather  with  a  black  edging  on  the  outer  edge  of  the 


Fig.  5. 


Fig.  7. 


Fig.  5. — Laced  feather.      Fig.  6. — Spangled  feather. 


Fig.  7. — Penciling,  crescentic 
form  (ideal). 


web,  is  called  a  laced  feather  (Fig.  5).  The  color  of  the 
centre  of  the  feather  determines  the  color  of  the  bird.  If 
the  centre  is  white,  the  color  is  said  to  be  silver ;  if  it  is  bay, 


10 


TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 


the  color  is  called  golden.  Good  examples  of  such  naming 
of  varieties  are  the  Silver  and  Golden  Wyandottes. 

A  feather,  tij^  of  which  is  black,  is  called  spangled 
feather  (Fig.  G).  Accordingly,  a  white  feather  with  a 
black  point  is  said  to  be  silver  spangled  ;  while  a  bay  feather 
with  a  black  point  is  called  golden  spangled. 

Sometimes  feathers  are  said  to  be  penciled  Avith  dark 
lines.     These  lines  may  either  follow^  the  outline  of  the 

Fig.  8.  Fig.  9. 


Fig.  8. — Penciling,  i)ai'allel 
form,  (ideiil). 


Fig.  9. — Barred  feather  (ideal  i 


feather  as  in  Fig.  7,  or  may  run  straight  across  the  feather, 
as  in  Fig.  8.  The  latter  kind  of  penciling  is  shown  clearly 
in  the  Campine  varieties,  while  the  outline,  or  crescentic, 
kind  is  shown  in  the  Dark  Brahma,  and  in  all  partridge 
varieties. 

As  is  the  case  with  the  laced  feather,  the  background  of 
a  penciled  feather  gives  the  color.  If  the  lines  are  against  a 
white  ground,  the  color  is  called  silver;    if  against  a  bay 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  FOWLS 


11 


ground,  golden.  In  case  there  is  a  black  line  around  a 
white  feather,  as  in  Fig.  7,  the  color  is  called  silver  penciled. 
The  Dark  Brahma,  although  called  "  dark/'  is  a  good  ex- 
ample of  a  silver-penciled  fowl.  When  there  is  a  black 
border  around  a  bay  feather,  the  color  is  said  to  be  par- 


FiG.    10.— Striped  neck  (hackle)  feather,  male  (ideal). 

tridge.  The  Partridge  Cochin  is  typical  of  this  type  of  col- 
oring. If  a  fowl  is  marked  with  black-and-white  bars, 
running  parallel  across  the  feathers,  we  say  that  it  is  barred 
(Fig.  9).  The  Barred  Plymouth  Eock  is,  perhaps,  the 
best  known  illustration  of  a  barred  chicken. 


12  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

As  shown  in  Fig.  10,  the  neck  featliers  of  many  male 

birds  have  a  pecnliar  marking,  different  in  color  from  the 

body  feathers. 

REVIEW 

1.  Give  origin  and  history  of   the   large,  meat  type  of   fowls. 

2.  Give  origin  and  history   of   the  small,  egg  type  of   fowls. 

3.  Give  origin  and  history  of  the  dual-purpose  type. 

4.  Explain  the  meaning  of  ''  class." 

5.  Wliat  was  the  origin  of  domestic  turkeys,  ducks  and  geese? 

QUESTIONS 

1.  Explain  what  is  meant  by  "  breed." 

2.  Describe  the  different  types  of  fowls"  feet. 

3.  What   is  meant  by   "variety?" 

4.  Name   and   describe   five   different   kinds   of   combs. 

5.  Which  do  you  think   is  the  most  common? 

6.  Name  the  parts  of  a  feather. 

7.  Describe  two  different  kinds  of  penciling. 

8.  Describe  a  barred  feather. 

9.  Describe  a  striped  feather. 

10.  What  is  the  difference  between  a  laced  and  spangled  feather? 

HOME  WORK 
Collect  as  many  differently  marked  feathers  as  possible.     Locate  the 
parts  of  each.     Fasten  the  best  specimen  of  each  marking  on  a 
card  for   future  reference. 


LESSOR  IV 

Breeds  and  Varieties 

We  have  learned  that  class  indicates  the  region  in  which 
any  type  of  fowls  originated ;  that  breed  is  determined  by 
size  and  shape ;  that  the  word  "  variety  "  is  used  to  desig- 
nate differences  in  color  or  comb.  There  is  one  other  term 
used  in  classifying  fowls.  This  term  is  strain^  which  has 
practically  the  same  meaning  as  "  family."  For  instance, 
if  John  Smith  should  grow  White  Wyandottes  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  we  would  classify  his  fowls  as  American  Class, 
Wyandotte  Breed,  White  Variety,  and  Smith  Strain. 

Learn  the  following  chart  of  characteristics  so  that  you 
can  write  it  from  memory : 

Name  Size  Colors  Combs  Shanks 

Barred  Plymouth  Rock.  .  .Medium  Black  and  White     Single     Smooth  yellow 

White  Plymouth  Rock  .  .  .Medium  White  Single     Smooth  yellow 

Buff  Plymouth  Rock Medium  Buff  Single     Smooth  yellow 

White  Wyandotte Medium  White  Rose       Smooth  yellow 

Silver  Wyandotte Medium  Black  and  White     Rose       Smooth  yellow 

Buff  Orpington Large  Buff  Single     Smooth  white 

White  Orpington Large  White  Single     Smooth  white 

Buff  Cochin Large  Buff  Single     Feathered — yellow 

Partridge  Cochin Large  Red  and  Black        Single     Feathered — yellow 

Light  Brahma Large  Black  and  White    Pea         Feathered — yellow 

Dark  Brahma Large  Black  and  White     Pea        Feathered — yellow 

Black  Langshan Large  Black  Single     Feathered — bluish 

black 

S.  C.  Black  Minorca Medium  Black  Single     Smooth  and  dark 

S.  C.  White  Leghorn Small  White  Single     Smooth  yellow 

S.  C.  Brown  Leghorn  .  . .  .Small  Red  and  Black        Single     Smooth  yellow 

S.  C.  Buff  Leghorn Small  Buff  Single     Smooth  yellow 

S.  C.  Rhode  Island  Red.  ..  Medium  Red  and  Black    ^    Single     Smooth  yellow 

Cornish Medium  Red  and  Black        Pea         Smooth  yellow 

Houdan Medium  Black  and  White     V-Shape  Dark  crest  and  five 

toes 

Silver  Spangled  Hamburg.  Small  Black  and  White     Rose      Smooth 
Leghorns,  Minorcas  and  R.  I.  Reds  are  also  bred  with  Rose  Combs 

13 


14  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

REVIEW 

1.  Describe  the  differences  in  fowls'  feet. 

2.  Describe   the   differences    in    fowls'    combs. 

3.  Name  the  parts  of  a  feather. 

4.  Describe   the   different   feather   markings. 

5.  What    is   the    difference    in    feather    markings    of   the    silver   and 

partridge  varieties? 

QUESTIONS 

1.  Name  the  white  varieties  and  give  their  characteristics. 

2.  Name  the  buff  varieties  and  give  their  characteristics. 

3.  Name  the  black  varieties  and  give  their  characteristics. 

4.  Name  the   varieties   which   have  yellow    shanks. 

5.  Name  the  varieties  which   have   feathered   shanks. 

G.  Compare  the  White  Leghorns  and  White  Plymouth  Rocks. 

7.  Compare  the  Buff  Leghorns  and  Buff  Orpingtons. 

8.  Compare  the  Cornish  fowls  and  the  Partridge  Cochin. 

9.  Compare   the   Houdan  and   the   Silver   Spangled   Hamburg. 

10.  Name    the    black-and-white    fowls    mentioned    in    the    preoeding 
chart. 

ho:me  work 

See  if  you   can  find  a   fowl  Mhich   has  feathered   shanks,  but  whicli 
should   have   smooth   ones. 


LESSOR  V 

Breeds  and  Varieties  (Continued) 

Study  carefully  the  characteristics  of  each  variety  of 
chickens  pictured  in  figures  11  to  30. 

REVIEW 

1.  Xame  the  solid-colored  fowls  we  have  studied. 

2.  Name   the   black-and-white   fowls. 

3.  Xame   the  black-and-red  fowls. 

4.  Xame  the  fowls  having  feathered   shanks. 

5.  Describe  the  different  combs  we  have  studied. 

QUESTIONS 

1.  Tell  the   characteristics  of  each  fow4  represented   in  Lesson  V. 

2.  A  fowl  is  medium  in  size,  white-and-black  in   color,   and  has  a 

rose  comb,  and  smooth  yellow  shanks.     Give  class,  breed,  and 
variet}'. 

3.  A  fowl  is  small  and  white,  and  has  a  single  comb  and  smooth, 

yellow  shanks.     Classify. 

4.  A  fowl  is  large,  black,  has  a  single  comb  and  feathered  shanks. 

Classify. 

5.  A  fowl  is  large,  black-and-white,  has  a  pea  comb  and  feathered 

shanks.      Classify. 
G.  A  fowl  is  large,  black-and-red,  with  a  single  comb,  and  feathered 
shanks.      Classify. 

7.  Let   each   pupil   describe   a   fowl,   and   let  the  rest  of   the  class 

name    it. 

8.  What  colors  are  characteristic  of  the  fowls  we  have  studied? 

9.  Name   the  fowls   having   smooth    shanks. 
10.  Name  the  fowls  having  feathered  shanks. 

HOME  W'ORK 
Tell  the  characteristics  of  all  the  pure  varieties  that  you  see  on  the 
road  to  and  from  school. 

15 


16  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 


Fig.    11  —Black  Langshans. 


■■^'  ^iiii  I  ■iirmiiinrW'fi 


Fig.    12. — Single  Comb  Black  Miuurc; 


BREEDS  AND  VARIETIES 


17 


Fig.   13.— Buff  Cochins. 


Fig.   14. — Single  Comb  Buff  Leghorns. 


18  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 


Fig.   15. — Buff  Plj^mouth  Rocks. 


FiQ.   16. — Single  Comb  Buff  Orpingtons. 


BREEDS  AND  VARIETIES  19 


Fig.   17. — White  Plymouth  Rocks. 


Fig.  18. — Single  Comb  White  Orpingtons. 


20  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 


Fig.   19. — Single  Comb  White  Leghorns. 


Fig.  20. — White  Wyandottcs- 


BREEDS  AND  VARIETIES 


21 


Fig.  21. — Light  Brahmas. 


Fig.  22. — Dark  Brahmas. 


22  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 


Fig.  23.— Barred  Plymouth  Rocks. 


Fig.  24. — Silver  Wyandoltes. 


BREEDS  AND  VARIETIES 


23 


Fig.  25. — Single  Comb  Rhode  Island  Reds. 


Fig.  26.— Cornish. 


24  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 


Fig.  27. — Partridge  Cochins. 


Fig.   23. — Single  Comb  Brown  Leghorns. 


BREEDS  AND  VARIETIES 


25 


Fig.  29.— Houdans. 


Fig.  30. — Silver  Spangled  Hamburgs. 


\ 


b.  H.  HILL  LIBRATTf 

North  Carolina  State  College 


LESSOR  VI 
Breeds  and  Varieties  (Continued) 
Let  each  pupil  bring  to  school  a  good  specimen  of  the 
variety  of  fowl  grown  at  home  (Fig.  31).     Number  the 
fowls  and,  if  coops  are  not  handy,  tie  each  one's  feet  together 


Fig.  31. — Children  describing  breeds  and  varieties. 

and  place  the  fowls  on  the  floor,  with  numbers  on  the  wall 
above  them.  Let  each  pupil  make  a  blank  card  and  fill  it  in 
with  the  names  and  characteristics  of  the  fowls  exhibited,  to 
correspond  with  the  chart  on  Page  13.  The  children  should 
26 


BREEDS  AND  VARIETIES 


27 


note  carefully  whether  or  not  all  the  characteristics  of  the 
fowls  are  as  they  should  be. 

THE  JUNGLE  FOWL   (gALLUS  BANKIVa) 

Historical  data  regarding  the  origin  of  our  domestic 
fowls  is  not  available  to  any  great  extent,  but  there  are 
many  points  of  similarity  in  the  habits,  color  and  form  of 
the  Wild  Jungle  Fowl  that  point  to  its  being  the  probable 
ancestor  of  our  domestic  poultry.  Many  scientists  working 
indei^endently  of  each  other  have  come  to  this  same  con- 
clusion. The  Jungle  Fowl  (Gallus  Bankiva)  agrees  very 
closely  in  shape  and  color  with  the  Black  Breasted  Red 
Game  Bantams,  with  the  exception  of  being  somewhat 
larger  in  size.  This  wild  fowl  will  very  readily  cross  with 
many  of  our  domestic  fowls. 


LESSOX  VTI 

Turkeys^  Ducks  and  Geese 

The  turkey  is  an  American  fowl  ( Fig.  32  ) .  When  this 
country  was  first  discovered,  whole  flocks  of  the  large  stately 
birds  were  found  wild  in  the  woods.     They  wandered  about 


Fig.  32. — Bronze  turkey. 

catching  insects  and  picking  up  seeds  and  berries  for  food. 
At  night  they  perched  in  the  trees.  Although  at  the  present 
day  there  are  comparatively  few  wild  turkeys  left  in  this 
country,  those  that  have  been  domesticated  retain  many  of 
the  characteristics  of  their  wild  ancestors.  They  do  much 
better  if  allowed  to  wander  through  fields  and  pastures, 
28 


BREEDS  AND  VARIETIES 


29 


foraging  for  their  food,  than  if  they  are  2:>enned  within  the 
limited  space  of  a  poultry  yard. 

The  domestic  turkey  is  larger  than  the  wild  one.     The 
following  table  shows  the  Standard'varieties  and  weights: 


2-year  old 

l-j'ear  old 

Less  than  1- 

1-year  old 

Less  than  1-year 

mlae 

male 

year  old  male 

female 

old  female 

Bronze     

.    36  lb. 

33 

lb. 

25  lb. 

20   lb. 

IG    lb. 

Narraganset     . . 

.   30  lb. 

25 

lb. 

20  lb. 

18    lb. 

12    lb. 

White  Holland  . 

.   28  lb. 

20  lb. 

18  lb. 

14    lb. 

Black  Holland  . 

.    27  lb. 

18  lb. 

18  lb. 

12  lb. 

Buff    Holland    . 

.   27  lb. 

18  lb. 

18  Jb. 

12  lb. 

Slate  Holland   . 

.    27  lb. 

18  lb. 

18  lb. 

12  lb. 

Bourbon  Holland.    30  lb. 


22  lb. 


18  lb. 


14  lb. 


Ducks  are  water  fowls  directly  descended  from  the  wild 
ducks  which  are  found  everywhere  throughout  the  Northern 


Fig.  33.— Pekin  ducks. 

Hemisphere,  nesting  in  the  North  and  migrating  to  the 
South  for  the  winter.     Like  all  true  water  fowls  thev  have 


30  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

webbed  feet,  adapted  to  swimming.  Their  moutli  parts  are 
much  larger  tliaii  the  mouth  parts  of  chickens,  and  are  called 
bills  instead  of  beaks.  There  is  a  little  strainer  arranged 
on  either  side  of  the  moutli,  so  that  water  can  be  taken  in  at 
the  front  of  the  bill,  and  passed  out  through  the  strainers, 


Fig.  34. — Runner  ducks. 

leaving  in  the  mouth  any  particles  of  food  that  may  have 
been  present  in  the  water.  The  females  of  these  fowl  are 
called  ducks,  and  the  males  drakes. 

Ducks  are  grown  for  their  meat,  eggs,  and  feathers.  The 
Pekin  (Fig.  33)  and  Eunner  ducks  (Fig.  3-1)  present  the 
two  extremes  in  types,  the  Pekin  being  the  meat  and  feather 
type,  while  the  Runner  is  the  egg  type. 


BREEDS  AND  VARIETIES 


31 


It  is  not  necessary  for  domesticated  ducks  to  have  water 
to  swim  in.  However,  since  they  require  much  water  to 
drink^  they  do  best  where  they  can  have  access  to  fresh, 
running  water  all  the  time. 


Fig.  35. — Toulouse  geese. 


The  following  table  shows  the  Standard  varieties  and 
weights  of  ducks : 


Breed  Variety 

Pekin White 

Aylesbury White 

Rouen Colored 

Cayuga Black 

Crested White 

Muscovy Colored 

Swedish Blue 

Runner Fawn  and  white 

Call Gray    \ 

Call White  >  Appreciated  for  their  smallness 

East  India Black   ) 


Adult 
drake 
9  lbs. 
9  lbs. 
9  lbs. 
8    lbs. 

7  lbs. 
10   lbs. 

8  lbs. 
4^  lbs. 


Young 
drake 


8  lbs. 

8  lbs. 

8  lbs. 

7  lbs. 
6  lbs. 

8  lbs. 
6^  lbs. 


Adult 
duck 

8  lbs. 

8  lbs. 

8  lbs. 

7  lbs. 

6  lbs. 

7  lbs. 
7  lbs. 
4  lbs. 


Young 
duck 
7  lbs. 
7  lbs. 
7  lbs. 
6   lbs. 

5  lbs. 

6  lbs. 
5^  lbs. 


32  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

Geese  are  water  fowls  with  bills  and  webbed  feet  very 
much  like  those  of  ducks.  They  are  grown  more  for  their 
flesh  and  feathers  than  for  their  eggs,  and  they  do  best 
where  tliey  have  good  grass  pasture  and  plenty  of  fresh 
water.  The  male  is  called  a  gander,  and  the  female  a 
goose  (Fig.  35). 

The  table  which  follows  gives  the  Standard  breeds,  vari- 
ties  and  weights : 

Adult  Young  Adult  Young 

Breeds                          Varieties  gander  gander  goose  goose 

Toulouse Gray  25  lbs.  20  lbs.  20  lbs.  16  lbs. 

Embden White  20  lbs.  18  lbs.  18  lbs.  16  lbs. 

African Gray  20  lbs.  16  lbs.  IS  lbs.  14  lbs. 

Chinese Brown  12  lbs.  10  lbs.  10  lbs.  8  lbs. 

Chinese White  12  lbs.  10  lbs.  10  lbs.  8  lbs. 

Wild  or  Canadian Gray  12  lbs.  10  lbs.  10  lbs.  8  lbs. 

Egyptian Colored  10  lbs.  S  lbs.  8  lbs.  6  lbs. 

REVIEW 

1.  What  varieties   of  chickens  confuse  you  the  most? 

2.  Give  the  characteristics   of  the  Barred  Plymoutli  Rock. 

3.  Give  the  characteristics  of  the  Rhode   Island  Red. 

4.  Give  the  characteristics  of  the  Buff  Orpington. 

5.  Compare  a  White  Wyandotte  and  a  White  Orpington. 

QUESTIONS 

1.  Name  the  varieties  of  turkeys. 

2.  Where  is  their  native  home? 

3.  W^hich   variety    is  the  most  common? 

4.  Name    the   varieties    of    ducks. 

5.  What  are  they   raised   for? 
0.  Describe  the  mouth   parts. 

7.  Wliat    are    the    mah-s    called? 

8.  What    are    Runner    ducks    noted    for? 

9.  Name  the  varieties  of  geese. 
10.  What  is  their  principal  value? 


LESSOR  VIII 
Judging 

At  all  contests  and  shows  the  judges  must  have  some 
uniform  standard  by  which  they  can  make  their  decisions. 
The  guide  used  in  judging  the  poultry  at  the  various  exhi- 
bitions held  in  America  is  a  book  called  the  American  Stmid- 
ard  of  Perfection,  which  is  published  by  the  American 
Poultry  Association.  Since  this  association  is  composed  of 
the  leading  poultry  breeders  of  the  country,  it  is  naturally 
the  highest  authority  on  poultry  in  America.  It  decides 
many  of  the  questions  that  arise  in  connection  with  the  poul- 
try industry.  It  also  decides  the  points  which  are  necessary 
to  make  a  perfect  fowl,  and  names  the  percentage  which,  in 
judging,  must  be  deducted  from  the  grade  of  each  section 
that  is  not  perfect.  All  of  these  particulars  are  to  be  found 
in  the  Standard  of  Perfection. 

Page  36  shows  a  score  card  used  by  judges  in  marking 
fowls.  The  percentage  taken  off  for  a  defect  in  the  shape  of 
any  section  is  placed  in  the  first  column,  and  that  taken  off 
for  defective  color  is  placed  in  the  second  column.  The  de- 
ductions are  then  added ;    and  their  sum,  subtracted  from 

one  hundred,  leaves  the  fowl's  score.      During  the  fall  sea- 
3  33 


34  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

son,  fowls  are  usually  judged  by  comparison;  that  is,  the 
judges  carefully  compare  the  competing  birds  section  by 
section,  and  award  the  prizes  to  the  best  fowls. 

There  are  some  defects  which  are  so  serious  as  to  dis- 
qualify a  fowl  and  prevent  it  from  winning  a  prize.  There 
is  not  space  to  list  all  of  these  disqualifications  here,  but  the' 
following  list  will  givje  some  idea  of  the  kinds  of  defects 
which  make  a  chicken  unfit  for  exhibition. 

In  all  breeds  required  to  have  unfeathered  shanks,  any 
feathers  or  stubs  or  down  on  shanks,  feet,  or  toes,  or  unmis- 
takable indications  of  feathers  having  been  plucked  from 
same. 

A  wing  showing  clipped  flights  or  secondaries,  or  both, 
except  in  water  fowls. 

Lopped  combs,  except  in  Mediterranean  and  Dorking 
females ;  rose  combs  falling  over  to  one  side  or  so  large  as 
to  obstruct  the  sight ;  combs  foreign  to  the  breed ;  split  or 
fish-tail  combs;  side  sprig  on  all  single-comb  varieties; 
decidedly  wry  tails ;  crooked  backs ;  plucked  hocks ;  de- 
formed beaks;  absence  of  S2)ike  in  all  rose-comb  varieties, 
except  Silkies,  Malays  and  Malay  Bantams;  decidedly 
squirrel  tail  in  all  breeds  except  Ja])anese  Bantams. 

In  four-toed  breeds,  more  or  less  than  four  toes  on  either 
foot. 


JUDGING  35 

In  five-toed  breeds,  more  or  less  than  five  toes  on  either 
foot. 

Legs  and  toes  of  color  foreign  to  breed. 

Entire  absence  of  main  tail  feathers. 

Some  defects  are  not  serions  enough  to  disqualify  the 
specimen.  For  these,  a  percentage  is  deducted  from  the 
grade,  or  score.  In  applying  the  score  card,  judges  are  to 
discount  for  the  more  common  defects  as  follows : 

Too  many  or  too  few  points  on  comb,  each    l^   point. 

Rear  of  comb  turning  around   i^>  to  1  point. 

Coarse    texture    of    comb     %  to  1  point. 

Coarse  texture  of  wattles    14  to  1  point. 

Missing  feather   or  part  of  feather   in  primaries   or 

secondaries  where  foreign  color  disqualifies    ....    1  to  3  points. 

Irregular  barring  in  Barred  Plymouth  Rocks,  in  each 

section   where    found    yo  to  1 1/0  point. 

Tail  in  any  variety  showing  not  to  exceed  14  develop- 
ment         3  points. 

Crooked   toes,    each 14  to  1  point. 

The  greater  number  of  fowls  score  between  85  and  95. 


36 


TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 


To  be  filled  out  on  A.  P.  A.  Card  in  Standard. 
OFFICIAL  SCORE  CARD 

Exhibitor 

Variety Sex 

Entry  No Band  No Weight 


Shape 

Color  '                        Remarks 

Svmmetry 

Weight  or  Size             .... 

Comb     

Head 

Beak 



Eyes 

Wattles    Ear  Lobes 



Neck 

Back 

Tail 

Breast                       .        .... 

Body  and  Fluff       

t  Crest  and  Beard 

*  Short  of  Feather  

Total  Cuts. 


Score 


.Judge 
.Secretary 


t  Applies  to  crested  breeds. 


*  Applies  to  Games  and  Game  Bantams. 


REVIEW. 

1.  Name  the   varieties   of   turkeys. 

2.  Name  the  varieties  of  ducks. 
.3.  Name  the  varieties  of  geese. 

4.  What  are  the  valuable  qualities  of  ducks? 

5.  What   are   the  valuable  qualities   of   geese? 

6.  What  are  the  valuable  qualities  of  turkeys? 


JUDGING  37 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  What  is  the  authority  on  poultry  in  America? 

2.  What  is  the  judge's  guide  in  making  his  decisions? 

3.  What   is   a   score   card? 

4.  How    is    it    used? 

5.  How  is  the  score   found? 

0.  What  method  of  judging  is  there  in  addition  to  judging  by  card? 

7.  What   is   meant   by   disqualification? 

8.  Name    a    disqualification. 

9.  What  is  meant  by  defect? 

10.  Describe  a  defect  which  is  not  a  disqualification;  and  tell  how 
such  a  defect  should  affect  a  fowl's  score. 

HOME  WORK. 

Make  a  score  card.  Judge  the  sections  of  a  fowl  and  fill  out  the 
card,  using  your  own  idea  of  how  each  section  should  be 
graded. 


LESSOX  IX 
Housing 
One  of  the  most  important  questions  connected  with  the 
care  of  poultry  is  that  of  housing,  for  the  health  of  the  fowl 


Fig.  36. — A  building  which  insures  grood  circulation  of  air. 

depends  largely  upon  the  surroundings  while  it  is  asleep. 
The  primary  consideration  in  building  a  poultry  house  is  to 
insure  a  good  circulation  of  air  (Fig.  36),  Since  many  of 
the  impurities  of  a  chicken's  body  are  carried  off  through 
its  breath,  an  abundance  of  fresh  air  is  essential.  Under 
no  circumstances  should  a  poultry  house  be  kept  too  warm. 
38 


HOUSING 


39 


A  chicken  is  provided  by  nature  with  feathers  to  protect  it 
against  severe  weather;  accordingly  it  should  not  be  ex- 
pected to  thrive  in  as  warm  a  house  as  a  man  can  live  in. 

The  location  for  the  house  should  be  chosen  very  care- 
fully. A  high,  well-drained  place,  if  possible  on  sandy  soil, 
will  prove  the  most  desirable.  The  structure  should  face 
south  so  as  to  receive  sunlight  and  air  from  that  direction ; 


Fig.  37. — The  location  of  the  house  should  face  south  with  door  located  in  the 
aoutheast  corner. 


and  the  door  should  be  located  in  the  southeast  corner  (Fig. 
36).  If  a  droppings  board  is  used  on  the  north  side,  win- 
dows should  be  placed  under  the  board  to  distribute  light  to 
all  parts  of  the  floor. 

The  house  should  conform  in  size  to  the  number  of  fowls 
it  is  intended  to  shelter.  On  the  average  farm,  where  two 
horses,  two  cows,  and  a  few  hogs  are  kept,  it  is  considered 
profitable  to  keep  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  hens ;  for  that 


40  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

number  will  be  able  to  get  along  with  the  grain  and  scraps 
they  pick  up,  and  will  not  require  much  extra  food.  If  a 
flock  of  this  size  is  allowed  free  range,  it  can  easily  be  accom- 
modated in  a  house  IG  X  20  feet,  which  will  allow  between 
three  and  four  square  feet  of  floor  space  to  each  fowl. 


Fig.  38. — Colony  house. 

Though  various  materials  are  used  in  building  poultry 
houses,  wood  gives  the  best  satisfaction.  Concrete  floors 
are  good,  but  concrete  walls  make  the  house  too  damp. 

The  plans  shown  in  Figures  3G  and  37  are  both  prac- 
tical. One  is  for  a  house  with  an  open  front  which  will 
admit  both  air  and  light.     The  other  has  slat  ventilators  to 


HOUSING  41 

admit  air,  and  windows  for  lighting  purposes.  The  ar- 
rangement of  the  rooms  will  be  discussed  in  the  lesson  on 
equipment. 

Some  especial  provision  must  be  made  for  the  housing  of 
young  chicks,  for  they  are  not  old  enough  or  strong  enough 
to  protect  themselves  against  changes  in  the  weather,  and 
are  apt  to  crowd  together  if  the  nights  are  chilly.  A  colony 
house  (Fig.  38),  about  8  X  12  feet  in  size,  with  a  front  like 
that  of  one  of  the  larger  poultry  houses,  should  prove  an 
effective  shelter  for  the  young  stock.  The  brooders  can  be 
placed  within  such  a  house,  and  can  be  left  tliere  until  the 
chicks  are  from  five  to  seven  weeks  old,  when  the  brooders 
are  removed  and  fireless  hovers  substituted.  The  age  at 
which  this  transfer  can  be  made  depends  partly  upon  the 
season  of  the  year.  When  the  chicks  are  large  enough  to 
use  the  roost  poles,  which  are  placed  about  sixteen  inches 
from  the  floor,  the  hovers  can  be  removed. 

Houses  such  as  this  should  be  built  on  skids  or  runners  so 
that  they  can  be  drawn  from  place  to  place  to  furnish  the 
chickens  with  range  in  summer,  and  can  be  drawn  together 
in  winter  for  protection  to  the  fowls. 

REVIEW 

1.  Explain   the   score   card. 

2.  Name   the    two   methods    of    judging   poultry. 

3.  What  guide  is  used  in  judging  poultry? 

4.  What   would  be   the   condition   of   contests   without  a  guide  for 

judging? 

5.  What  is  a  defect? 


42  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

QUESTIONS 

1.  Why  do  poultry  need  a  house? 

2.  Should  a  poultry  house  be  warm  enough  for  man? 

3.  How  large  should  the  house  be? 

4.  Explain  why  a  house  should  face  the  south. 

5.  Where  should  the  openings  be? 

6.  What  kind  of  material  should  be   used? 

7.  Describe  the  colony  house. 

8.  Tell  how  it  should  be  equipped. 

9.  Give  size  of  colony  house. 

10.  Should  chicks  be  kept  in  the  house?     If  so,  when? 

HOME  WORK 

Measure  the  poultry  house  at  home  and  estimate  the  number  of 
birds  it  will  accommodate,  allowing  three  square  feet  of  floor 
space  per  fowl. 


lesso:n  X 

Equipment 

Since  the  poultry  house  is  the  home  of  the  poultry,  it 
should  be  equipped  for  their  comfort  with  roosts,  nests,  feed 
hoppers,  drinking  fountains,  etc.     The  roosts  are  of  especial 


Fig.  39. — Section  of  house  showing  roosts,  dropping  boards  and  nests. 

importance.  They  should  be  about  three  or  four  feet  from 
the  floor,  and  on  a  level,  so  that  the  chickens  will  not  crowd 
to  the  highest  perch.  Sawed  sticks  about  two  inches  square, 
with  the  top  corners  rounded,  make  good  roosts  (Fig.  39). 
About  eight  or  ten  inches  under  them,  a  droppings  board 
should  be  placed,  so  that  the  entire  floor  of  the  poultry 

43 


44 


TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 


Louse  may  be  used  for  scratching  room.  The  roosts  should 
be  movable  so  that  they  can  Ije  takeu  out  wheu  the  droj^- 
piugs  board  is  to  be  cleaneil. 

If  the  iiests  are  on  the  floor  of  the  house,  the  hens  are 
often  tempted  to  eat  their  eggs.  Accordingly,  one  good, 
clean  raised  nest  should  be  provided  for  each  four  hens. 


Fig.  40. — Indoor  feed  hopper. 

These  nests  should  be  kept  filled  with  clean,  fresh  straw, 
so  that  the  eggs  will  be  clean  and  unbroken.  A  good  place 
for  the  nests  is  imder  the  droppings  board.     (Fig.  39.) 

In  addition  to  roosts  and  nests,  feed  hoppers  and  drink- 
ing vessels  should  be  provided  (Figs.  40  and  41).  The 
feed  hoppers,  which  should  be  placed  so  that  the  fowls  can 


EQUIPMENT 


45 


easily  get  the  food,  are  to  be  used  only  for  mash.  Grain 
should  be  thrown  into  the  litter,  so  that  the  birds  will  get 
some  exercise  in  scratching  for  it.  The  drinking  vessels 
should  be  such  as  to  insure  an  abundant  supply  of  fresh 
water  to  the  fowls  all  tlie  time.  They  should  be  of  a  kind 
that  is  easily  cleaned,  and  should  be  up  off  the  floor,  so  that 
litter  cannot  be  scratched  into  them.     Every  care  should  be 


Fia.  41. — Outdoor  feed  hopper. 

taken  to  keej)  both  feed  and  water  clean  and  free  from  dis- 
ease germs. 

Special  coops  should  be  provided  for  the  hens  tliat  be- 
come broody  (Fig.  42).  These  coops  should  be  raised  off 
the  ground,  and  should  have  a  floor  made  of  slats  about  two 
inches  apart,  to  insure  a  circulation  of  air  under  the  hens. 
If  the  hens  are  kept  cool  in  this  manner,  they  will  be 


46 


TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 


broken  of  broodiness  in  a  shorter  length  of  time  than  if 
there  were  solid  floors  in  the  coops.  If  broody  hens  are  well 
housed,  and  are  fed  and  watered  properly  so  as  to  keep  their 


Fig.  42. — Broody  coop. 

flesh  up,  they  will  go  back  to  laying  in  a  few  days.  If  it  is 
desired  to  set  a  broody  hen,  she  should  be  placed  separate  in 
a  hatching  box  that  will  permit  her  to  get  to  her  own  nest, 
but  will  prevent  the  other  hens  from  bothering  her. 


EQUIPMENT  47 

REVIEW 

1.  Describe  a  good  poultry  house. 

2.  Which  way   should  the  house  face? 

3.  Describe   the   openings. 

4.  Describe  the   materials   used. 

5.  Describe  a  colony  house. 

QUESTIONS 

1.  Why    should   we  use   feed    hoppers? 

2.  What   feed    should   be   given    in   hoppers?      Why? 

3.  What  feed  should  not  be  given  in  feed  hoppers?     Why? 

4.  Where   should  the   feed  hoppers  be  placed? 

5.  Where  should  the  water  be  placed? 

6.  Describe  a  broody  coop. 

7.  Why  has  it  an  open  slat  bottom? 

8.  How  should  hens  be  treated  when  in  broody  coops? 

9.  Describe  a  hatching  box. 

10.  What  are  some  of  the  advantages  of  a  hatching  box? 

HOME  WORK 
Build  either  a  feed  hopper  or  a  broody  coop. 


LESSOX  XI 

Yarding  and  Fexcixq 

Every  farm  should  have  its  poultry  yard,  which  the 
poultry  should  recoguize  as  '"  home/'  It  is  not  necessary, 
however,  to  keep  the  fowls  penned  in  that  yard.  On  most 
farms,  it  is  more  profitable  to  fence  in  lawns  and  gardens 
to  keep  the  poultry  out,  than  to  pen  the  fowls  in  an  en- 
closure; for  if  the  flock  is  allowed  free  range,  it  will  pick 
up  most  of  its  food  about  the  fann,  eating  scattered  gi*ain 
and  weed  seeds,  and  catching  insects  that  might  otherwise 
prove  harmful  to  the  crops. 

It  is  always  wise,  however,  to  have  a  breeding  yard. 
In  this  yard  should  be  put  the  good  winter  layers ;  for  they 
are  the  most  profitable  hens,  since  one  winter  egg  is  worth 
two  or  three  summer  eggs.  Often  a  flock  is  allowed  to  run 
down  through  failure  on  the  part  of  an  owner  to  insure  good 
hatchings.  The  winter  layers  are  the  first  to  go  to  sitting 
in  the  spring.  About  the  time  these  hens  become  broody, 
the  "  loafing"  hens  start  to  lay ;  and  the  good  hens  are  set 
on  the  poor  hens'  eggs.  This  is  a  sure  method  of  weakening 
a  flock.  If,  on  the  contrary,  the  winter  layers  are  kept  in 
the  breeding  yard,  and  their  eggs  used  for  hatching,  the 
flock  will  be  certain  to  show  improvement.  Towards  the 
48 


YARDING  AND  FENCING 


49 


close  of  the  hatching  season,  these  hens  may  be  turned  out 
with  the  flock,  and  the  yard  used  for  young  chickens. 

The  fencing  of  a  yard  is  a  very  important  question  (Fig. 
43).  If  the  yard  is  square,  or  very  nearly  so,  it  will  be 
found,  as  the  diagram  {Fig.  44)  will  show,  that  more 
ground  can  be  fenced  with  the  same  amount  of  wire  used 


Fig.  43. — A  good  poultry  yard  fence. 

than  to  fence  a  rectangular  yard.  Moreover,  it  will  readily 
be  seen  that  the  chickens  in  yard  No.  1  of  the  diagram  can 
get  further  from  the  fence  than  those  in  yard  No.  2.  Ac- 
cordingly, since  they  have  more  freedom,  the  former 
chickens  will  not  be  so  greatly  tempted  to  try  to  get  out. 
A  heavy  wire  fence  six  feet  high,  with  a  one-inch  mesh  at 
4 


50 


TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 


the  bottom,  makes  a  good  fence  for  both  old  and  young 
fowls.  Since  fowls  usually  fly  to  the  top  of  a  fence,  and 
then  down  to  the  other  side,  there  should  be  no  board  or 
other  heavy  finish  at  the  top  of  the  fence  to  afford  a  perch. 
It  is  a  good  plan  to  have  two  yards  for  each  room  of 
the  house,  so  that  the  chickens  can  be  shut  out  of  one  while 


Yard  No.  1 


Yard  No.  2. 


Fig.   44. — Two  poultry  yards,  each  divided  into  four  pens.     The  square  yards  in 
No.  1  require  less  fence  than  the  rectangular  yards  in  No.  2. 

green  food  is  being  grown  in  the  other.      In  this  way  the 
soil  will  always  be  kept  fresh  and  free  from  disease. 


REVIEW 

1.  How  should  grain   be  fed? 

2.  How  should  mash  be  fed? 

3.  What  is  the  best  way  to  break  broody  hens? 

4.  How  should  broody  hens  be  fed? 

5.  Describe   a   hatching  box. 


YARDING  AND  FENCING  51 

QUESTIONS 

1.  Should   poultry   have   a   yard?      Why? 

2.  What  are  the  advantages  of  a  free  range? 

3.  What  kind  of  poultry  yards  should  be  fenced? 

4.  How  large  should  a  yard  be? 

5.  What  change  could  be  made  with  the  fowls  in  a  pen? 

6.  How   do   fowls   get   over   the   fence? 

7.  What   shape  should  the  yard  be? 

8.  Give   some  advantages  of  this  shape. 

9.  Why  should  the  yard  be  divided? 

10.  What  kind  of  fence  is  best  and  why? 

HOME  WORK 

How  many  farms  do  you  know  of  which  have  a  poultry  yard  separate 
from  other  yards? 


LESSOX  XII 

Feeds  axd  Feedixg 

In  their  wild  state,  fowls  wandered  at  will,  and  got  their 
food  by  hunting  and  scratching  for  seeds,  insects,  worms, 
and  so  forth.  With  unlimited  range,  and  all  sorts  of  foods  at 
their  disposal,  it  was  an  easy  matter  for  them  to  get  foods 
containing  the  necessary  elements  for  proper  nourishment. 
Xow  that  fowls  have  become  domesticated,  however,  it  is 
necessary  for  those  who  raise  them  to  make  sure  that  they 
are  provided  with  food  containing  body-building  substances, 
as  well  as  egg-forming  material,  if  eggs  are  desired. 

There  are  two  classes  of  foods  necessary  to  the  proper 
nourishment  of  an  animal's  body.  One  consists  of  protein, 
the  muscle  builder,  which  is  composed  chiefly  of  nitrogen. 
The  other  consists  of  the  carbohydrates,  which  build  fat  and 
supply  heat  and  energy.  Sugar  and  starch  are  among  the 
chief  carbohydrates.  Fat  answers  the  same  purpose  as 
sugar  and  starch,  and  is  two  and  one-fourth  times  as 
valuable. 

A  fowl  should  have  about  one  part  protein  to  each  five 
parts  of  carbohydrates.  A  ration  which  has  tliis  relation 
is  said  to  be  a  halanced  ration.  A  ration  in  which  the  rela- 
tion of  protein  to  carbohydrates  is  as  one  to  four  is  called  a 
narrow  ration ;  that  in  which  the  relationship  is  as  one  to 
six  is  called  a  wide  ration. 

In  order  to  determine  the  relative  value  of  two  or  more 
.52 


FEEDS  AND  FEEDING  53 

foods,  add  all  the  protein  they  contain,  and  then  add  all  the 
carbohydrates.  Divide  the  sums  by  the  amount  of  protein. 
It  will  be  found,  of  course,  that  the  protein  goes  into  the  sum 
of  the  proteins  once.     The  number  of  times  it  is  contained 


Fig.  45. — Internal  organs  of  hen;  1,  mouth  parts,  receive  food  and  air;  2, 
oesophagus,  conveys  food  to  crop;  3,  crop,  for  softening  food;  4,  stomach,  secretes 
digestive  fluids;  5,  gizzard,  grinds  food;  6,  duodenum,  receives  pancreatic  juice; 
7,  pancreas,  secretes  pancreatic  juice;  8,  Uver,  stores  food  and  secretes  bile;  9, 
intestine,  absorbs  nourishing  parts  of  food;  10,  cseca,  for  absorption;  11,  cloaca, 
common  opening  for  intestine,  kidney,  and  oviduct;  12,  Ovary,  develops  yolks  of 
eggs;  13,  funnel  of  oviduct,  receives  yolk  from  ovary;  14,  Albumen  section  of 
oviduct,  forms  white  around  the  yolk;  15,  isthmus  of  oviduct,  forms  soft  shell; 
16,  uterus  of  oWduct,  forms  hard  shell;  17,  kidneys,  take  out  impurities;  18, 
tracheae  (windpipe),  conveys  air  to  lungs;  19,  lungs,  purify  blood;  20,  heart,  keeps 
up  the  circulation  of  the  blood;     21,  spleen,  acts  on  red  blood-corpuscles. 

in  the  carbohydrates  will  show  the  relative  value  of  the 
foods. 

The  following  table  gives  the  amounts  of  protein  and 
carbohydrates  in  certain  foods,  together  with  their  relative 
value.  From  this  table  select  feeds  to  make  a  balanced 
ration. 


54  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  IvEEPING 

DIGESTIBLE  CONTENTS  OF  VARIOUS  POULTRY  FOOD 

Foodstuffs  Percentage  of      Percentage  of         Nutritive 

Protein  Carbohydrates  Ratio 

and  Fats 

Barley     8.75  07.24  1  : 7.7 

Buckwheat      8.1  53.0  1:0.0 

Broom    corn    7.52  57.00  1 :7.8 

Indian   corn    8.6  73.2  1 :8.5 

Kaffir    corn     7.5  70.5  1 :  10.3 

Flax   seed 20.6  82.35  1:4.0 

Oats     9.2  50.7  1:0.2 

Cow   peas    18.3  50.7  1 : 3.1 

Millet  seed, 19.03  43.38  1:2.2 

Rice 5.3  68.3  1:11.8 

Rye 7.5  66.1  1:8.S 

Sorghum   seed    7.0  59.1  1:8.4 

Soy    bean 29.6  54.7  1 :2.0 

Sunflower    seed    12.1  86.1  1:7.1 

Wheat,    plump     9.2  63.8  1:6.9 

Wheat,    shrunken    ...      9.8  04.3  1:6.5 

Alfalfa   meal    . 12.3  40.7  1:3.3 

Buttermilk     4.0  5.5  1 : 1.4 

Skim    milk     3.3  7.5  1:1.7 

Whole    milk    3.6  13.2  1:3.7 

Dried   milk     51.2  18.6  1 :0.4 

Beef    scraps    54.0  29.6  1 :0.5 

Dried  blood    78.6 

Green  cut  bone    27.8  5.8 

Wheat  bran    12.02  43.9  1 :3.4 

Wheat   middlings    ...    12.2  61.9  1:5.1 

Wheat  shorts 13.02  54.5  1 :42 

Cracked    corn     6.7  74.0  1:11.2 

Steel    cut    oats     10.6  00.3  1:0.2 

Corn   meal    0.4  73.9  1 :  11.5 

Rolled    oats    . 9.5  05.5  1 :7.2 

Cottonseed    meal     ...    41.1  40.4  1:1.0 

Gluten  meal      25.8  74.8  1:2  9 

Linseed   oil    meal    ...    24.4  01.0  1:2.5 

(old   process) 

Linseed    oil    meal    ...    26.1  53.1  1:2.0 
(new  process) 


FEEDS  AND  FEEDING  55 

Although  proteins  and  carbohydrates  are  the  main 
elements  needed  for  the  nourishment  of  fowls,  there  are 
other  essential  elements.  Most  of  these  are  present  in  the 
foods  that  contain  the  proteins  and  carbohydrates,  but  there 
are  some  few  elements  that  must  be  supplied.  Among  these 
are  common  salt  (sodium  chloride),  which  should  be  given 
to  fowls,  as  to  other  animals.  Care  should  be  taken  in 
regulating  the  amount,  however,  as  too  much  salt  proves 
injurious. 

Other  minerals,  such  as  lime,  the  fowls  get  from  gravel, 
sand,  ground  oystershell,  etc.  These  hard,  sharp  particles 
serve  two  purposes :  they  grind  the  food  in  the  gizzard  of 
the  fowl,  as  well  as  furnish  minerals.  It  is  always  well  to 
remember  in  this  connection  that  poultry  do  not  grind  their 
food  in  their  mouths,  as  most  animals  do,  but  in  their  giz- 
zards. Accordingly,  part  of  the  food  should  be  ground 
before  being  fed  to  the  fowl,  as  an  aid  to  digestion. 

The  following  ration  is  good  for  laying  hens.  If  the 
fowls  are  allowed  free  range,  however,  the  food  they  pick  up 
outside  should  be  considered  in  feeding  them. 

DRY  MASH 

Corn  meal 100  lbs.      Shorts 40  lbs. 

Ground   oats    100  lbs.      Beef  scraps 20  lbs. 

Wheat    bran    100  lbs.      Fine   salt 2  lbs. 

The  grain  fed  with  this  ration  should  be  composed  of 


56  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

equal  parts  of  cracked  corn  and  wheat,  and  should  be  scat- 
tered in  the  litter  morning  and  evening. 

Charcoal  and  grit  should  be  before  the  fowls  all  the 
time. 

In  order  to  fatten  fowls,  they  should  be  confined  in  a 
coop  and  fed  a  wide  ration,  which  contains  a  large  per- 
centage of  carbohydrates.  Corn  meal  and  shorts,  moistened 
with  buttermilk,  make  a  good  food  for  fattening. 

Plenty  of  fresh,  clean  water  should  be  before  the  fowls 
at  all  times. 

REVIEW 

1.  Tell  liow  fowls  get  over  fences. 

2.  Describe   a   good   poultry   fence. 

3.  Give  size  and  shape  of  a  farm  poultry  yard. 

4.  What  advantage  is  there  in  fencing  the  poultry  yard? 

5.  What    disadvantage? 

QUESTIONS 

1.  How  do  fowls  grind  their  food? 

2.  Give  tlie  two  values  of  grit. 

3.  What  are  the  two  classes  of  foods  needed? 

4.  What  is  protein  and  what  does  it  do? 

5.  Wliat  are  carbohydrates  and  wliat  do  they  do? 

C.  What  is  a  "  balance<l  ration  "'  and  how  do  you  figure  a  ration 
where   several   feeds   are   combined? 

7.  What  is  a  narrow  ration?     A  wide  ration? 

8.  Give  a  good  ration  for  laying  hens. 

9.  Give  a  good  ration  for  fattening  fowls. 

10.  Name  the  digestive  organs  of  a  fowl  and  tell  tlie  work  done  by 
each. 

HOME  WORK 
Mix  a  balanced   ration   for  laying  hens  and  bring  a  sample  of  the 
mixture  to   school. 


LESSO^^  XIII 

Feeding  the  Baby  Chicks 
About  the  time  a  baby  chick  is  ready  to  leave  its  shell,  it 
draws  the  yolk  of  the  egg  into  its  body.  Nature  has  given 
this  yolk  to  the  chick  as  a  sort  of  lunch  basket  which  contains 
food  enough  to  last  for  several  days.  This  is  a  wise  provi- 
sion on  the  part  of  Dame  Xature,  for  the  little  chick  is  very 


• 


Fig.  4G. — Digestive  organs  of  a  baby  chick;  1,  crop,  in  which  food  is  softened; 
2,  stomach,  in  which  digestive  juices  are  mixed  with  the  iood;  3,  gizzard,  in  which 
the  grinding  is  done  by  means  of  small  pieces  of  stone,  called  grit;  4,  intestines;  5, 
yolk,  which  serves  as  food  for  the  baby  chick  for  the  first  few  days  after  it  comes 
out  of  the  shell;  6,  Coeca  or  bUnd  pouches.  Much  of  the  digested  foods  enter  these, 
the  nourishing  parts  being  absorbed. 

weak  for  some  time  after  leaving  the  egg  and  does  not  know 
just  w^iat  to  eat  nor  where  to  find  it.  The  yolk  furnishes  it 
with  food  until  it  grows  strong  enough  to  shift  for  itself. 
(Fig.  46). 

The  baby  chick  should  not  be  fed  until  it  has  used  at 
least  a  part  of  this  yolk.  It  is  not  well,  how^ever,  to  wait  too 
long  before  feeding  it.     If  the  chick  grows  too  hungry,  it  is 

57 


68  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

likely  to  gorge  itself.  .  From  t^venty-four  to  forty-eight 
hours  after  hatching  is  a  good  age  at  which  to  begin  feeding. 
Only  a  small  quantity  of  food  should  be  given  to  begin  with, 
but  the  amount  should  be  gradually  increased  as  the  yolk 
is  used. 

Some  claim  that  sour  milk  or  buttermilk,  if  given  to  the 
chick  before  any  food  is  given,  will  have  a  medicinal  value 
in  controlling  diseases  of  the  intestines.  It  will  at  least  do 
no  harm  to  give  the  chicks  a  few  drops  of  the  milk,  which 
is  a  valuable  food.  All  through  the  chick's  life  buttermilk 
and  sour  milk  are  very  beneficial  and,  to  some  degree,  take 
the  place  of  meats. 

The  first  day's  feed  for  the  chick  may  be  of  hard  boiled 
eggy  ground  up  fine,  shell,  yolk  and  white  thoroughly  mixed. 
If  the  shell  is  not  included  in  the  mixture,  some  fine  sand 
should  be  sprinkled  over  the  food.  Grit  or  sand  should  not, 
however,  be  given  to  chicks  in  quantities  during  the  first 
few  days ;  for  the  chicks  are  likely  to  eat  too  much  of  it. 

The  feed  for  the  second  and  third  days  should  be  a  mix- 
ture of  boiled  eggs,  bread  crumbs,  and  oatmeal.  The  egg 
and  bread  crumbs  should  be  gradually  omitted,  and  wheat 
bran  added  to  take  their  place.  When  the  chick  is  about  a 
week  old,  it  may  be  given  a  good  grade  of  chick  feed  for 
grain,  and  a  mixture  of  com  meal,  oatmeal,  and  wheat  bran 
for  mash.  At  the  age  of  two  months,  chicks  may  be  fed  the 
ration  for  laying  hens. 


FEEDING  THE  BABY  CHICKS  59 

REVIEW 

1.  Name  the  digestive  organs  of  a  fowl. 

2.  Explain  a  "  balanced  ration." 

3.  Explain  a  "wide  ration;"  a  "narrow  ration." 

4.  Give  a  ration  for  laying  hens, 

5.  Give  a  ration  for  fattening  poultry. 

QUESTIONS 

1.  What  is  the  yolk  of  an  egg  for? 

2.  How  long  will  the  yolk  last  the  baby  chick? 

3.  Where  does  the  yolk  enter  the  intestine? 

4.  When  should  the  first  feed  be  given  to  the  baby  chick? 

5.  What  should   its   first  feed  be? 

C.  When  and  how  should  grit  be  given? 

7.  What  is  the  danger  in  waiting  too  long  to  feed  the  chick? 

8.  What  should  the  chick's  feed  be  the  second  week? 

9.  At  what  age  should  it  be  given  the  ration  for  laying  hens? 
10.  Is  sour  milk  a  good  food? 

HOME  WORK 

Kill  a  hen  at  home  and  examine  the  digestive  organs;   name  each 
organ  as  you  locate  it. 


LESSOR  XIV 

Mating 

ExPErvi:MEXTs  have  j)roved  that  it  is  hest  to  keep  the 
various  breeds  and  varieties  j)ure.  It  is  a  risky  business 
to  attempt  cross-mating.  Those  who  practise  it  usually 
fail,  and  find  it  necessary  to  begin  all  over  again.  Those 
who  wish  to  experiment,  should  try  cross  breeding  with  only 
a  few  chickens.  The  main  flock,  to  produce  the  best  results, 
should  be  kept  pure. 

In  order  to  improve  the  farm  flock,  it  is  a  good  practice 
to  select  the  best  fowls  and  place  them  in  a  pen  by  them- 
selves, and  to  hatch  from  this  pen  only.  If  eggs  for  hatch- 
ing are  taken  from  the  entire  flock,  the  results  are  uncertain, 
and  failure  is  likely.  Only  those  fowls  should  be  selected 
which  have  constitutional  vigor.  It  is  not  necessarily  the 
largest  chickens  that  are  the  best.  Other  characteristics 
than  size  should  be  considered.  The  fowls  should  have 
clear  voices,  and  prominent,  clear  eyes.  They  should  stand 
firm,  with  their  feet  flat  on  the  ground  and  their  toes  well 
spread.  The  toes  should  have  short  nails,  and  the  knees 
should  be  set  Avell  aj^art.  If  the  chickens  are  in  good  con- 
dition, they  should  be  quick  and  active,  and  should  get  out 
early  in  the  morning  and  stay  out  late  at  night. 
60 


MATING  61 

The  shape  of  the  fowls  is  a  very  important  considera- 
tion. Hens  which  are  wedge  shaped — narrow  in  front  and 
wide  behind — are  usually  the  best  egg  producers.  The 
blocky,  square  or  rectangular  shape  is  the  best  for  meat  pro- 
duction. Under  no  circumstances  should  fowls  which  show 
weaknesses  of  any  kind  be  used  for  breeding.  All  those 
should  be  discarded  which  have  any  prominent  defects,  such 
as  crooked  backs  or  breast  bones,  wry  tails,  single  combs 
in  rose  comb  varieties,  or  rose  combs  in  single  comb  varie- 
ties, feathers  on  shanks,  in  smooth-shank  varieties,  or 
smooth  shanks  in  feathered-shank  varieties. 

It  is  the  tendency  among  fowls  of  the  parti-colored 
varieties,  for  the  males  to  become  lighter  and  the  females 
darker  in  color  through  breeding.  In  order  to  produce 
males  and  females  of  the  same  color,  it  is  necessary  to  have 
two  breeding  pens.  One  of  the  pens  should  be  used  for 
fowls  lighter  in  color  than  wanted,  and  the  other  for  darker 
fowls.  The  first  pen  will  produce  females -of  the  desired 
color,  and  the  second  will  produce  males  of  the  desired  color. 
This  method,  which  is  called  double  mating,  is  practised  by 
some  fanciers  to  produce  exhibition  fowls. 

If  males  and  females  from  the  same  pen  are  kept  to- 
gether for  breeding,  the  results  are  likely  to  be  bad.  This 
practice  is  called  in-hreeding.  In  order  to  avoid  it,  some 
breeders  keep  two  pens  or  lines  which  were  originally  from 
the  same  pen.     The  fowls  are  mated  from  these  two  lines. 


62  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

The  results  of  this  method,  which  is  called  Zme  breeding, 
are  likely  to  be  good;  for,  while  the  fowls  are  of  the  same 
blood,  they  are  distantly  related. 

REVIEW 

1.  What  is  the  yolk  of  an  egg  for? 

2.  When  should  the  baby  chick  be  fed? 

3.  What   should  its   first  feed  be? 

4.  How   should  grit  be  given? 

5.  Explain  the  changes  in  the  feed  ration  for  the  first  two  months. 

QUESTIONS 

1.  How  can  the  flock  be  improved? 

2.  What    is  the   most   important   point   in   selecting  breeders? 

3.  Does  the  movement  of  a  fowl  tell  anything  of  its  vigor? 

4.  Name  some  points  of  a  good  fowl. 

5.  Name  some  points  of  an  inferior  fowl. 

6.  What  is  the  egg-producing  shape? 

7.  What    is,  the   meat-producing    shape? 

8.  Should  breeds  and  varieties  be  crossed? 

9.  What   is  the  breeding  tendency  of   fowls  whose  color   is  black- 

and-white? 
10.  What  is  "double  mating?" 

HOME  WORK 

Select   and    mark   some   good   breeders   and    some   poor   breeders   and 
write  out  your  reasons  for  the  selection. 


LESSOR  XV 

IXCUBATIOX 

It  is  natural  for  a  lien  to  lay  twelve  or  fifteen  eggs  and 
then  to  become  broody.     By  selection  and  careful  breeding, 


Fig.  47. — Hatching  box. 

hens  have  been  brought  to  lay  many  more  eggs  than  this 
number ;  but  most  hens,  sooner  or  later,  want  to  sit.  If  it  is 
desired  to  hatch  chicks,  a  hen  should  be  removed  to  a  hatch- 
ing box  as  soon  as  she  becomes  broody  (Fig.  47).  This  box 
should  be  arranged  with  a  runway  in  front  of  the  nest 
so  that  the  hen  will  be  able  to  get  some  exercise,  and  to  reach 
the  food  and  water  placed  there  for  her,  without  bothering 

63 


64  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

the  other  hens,  or  being  bothered  by  them,  during  the  period 
of  incubation. 

By  incubation  we  mean  the  developing  of  the  chick  inside 
of  the  egg.  An  egg  is  composed  of  four  parts ;  1st,  the  living 
germ,  which  develops  into  the  chick ;  2d,  the  yolk,  which  is 
food  for  the  chick  after  it  leaves  the  shell ;  3d,  the  white, 
or  albumen,  which  is  food  for  tlie  embryo  while  in  the  shell ; 
and  -ith,  the  shell,  which  is  for  protection.     The  white  is 


Fig.   48. — This  chick  is  only  24   hours  old;  it  still  has  the  chipper  on  its  beak,  yet 
it  is  growing  some  wing  feathers. 

composed  principally  of  protein  and  water;    and  the  yolk 
contains  a  large  amount  of  fat. 

The  microscopic  germ  is  located  in  a  small,  white  spot 
(the  germinal  disk)  on  the  top  of  the  yolk.  This  spot  always 
turns  to  the  top ;  and  if  the  egg  is  not  moved,  the  yolk  will 
rise  through  the  albumen  so  that  it  can  receive  the  heat  from 
the  hen  above.  If  left  in  this  position  too  long,  the  embryo 
will  stick  to  the  shell.  To  avoid  this  catastrophe,  the  hen 
turns  the  egg  two  or  three  times  a  day. 


INCUBATION  65 

Air  passes  through  the  pores  of  the  shell  for  use  by  the 
embryo  as  it  develops.  If  the  pores  are  stopped  by  a  coat  of 
oil  or  dirt,  the  embryo  smothers.  If  the  eggs  are  permitted 
to  dry  out  too  much,  there  will  not  be  enough  albumen  left 
to  make  the  chick  large  and  strong  enough  to  break  the  shell 
and  get  out,  and  it  will  die  in  the  shell. 

After  about  twenty-one  days  of  incubation,  the  chick  is 
ready  to  leave  its  shell  (Fig.  48).  Although  it  is  not  very 
strong,  it  is  able  to  make  its  way  through  the  hard  shell  with- 
out very  much  difficulty,  for  [N'ature  has  provided  it  with  a 
hard,  sharp  point  which  is  fastened  to  the  end  of  its  beak. 
With  the  aid  of  this  little  instrument,  the  chick  breaks  out 
of  its  shell.  It  first  makes  a  little  hole  in  about  the  middle 
of  tlie  largest  part  of  the  egg.  Then  it  turns  itself  around 
inside  of  the  egg,  breaking  the  shell  as  it  goes.  This  makes 
a  broken  ring  around  the  egg,  so  that  just  a  little  pressure  is 
needed  to  force  the  two  halves  of  the  shell  apart,  and  let 
the  little  chick  out  into  a  big  world  where  all  things  are 
strange  and  new. 

The  process  of  incubation  goes  on  just  the  same 
whether  the  eggs  are  hatched  by  a  hen  or  by  an  incubator. 
An  incubator,  as  you  know,  is  a  machine  whereby  chickens 
are  hatched  by  artificial  heat.  As  the  demand  for  poultry 
and  poultry  products  became  greater  and  greater,  some 
such  machine  became  necessary;  for  men  wanted  to  rear 
greater  numbers  of  chickens  than  it  was  possible  to  hatch 
5 


66  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

with  hens.  There  are  now  many  types  of  incubators,  hold- 
ing from  fifty  eggs  to  several  thousand  eggs  each.  They  are 
heated  by  means  of  oil,  coal,  gas,  or  electricit}-.  Hot  air,  or 
sometimes  hot  water,  is  distributed  through  pipes  which 
pass  through  the  upper  part  of  the  incubator,  over  the  eggs. 
The  temperature  is  held  at  103  degrees  for  the  first  week ; 


■— ^    P ,     !«■ 

^^!     ^^  nm 

Fig.  49. — A  brood  of  chicks  hatched  in  an  incubator. 

but  is  increased  to  104  degrees  the  second  week,  and  remains 
stationary  during  the  rest  of  the  period  of  incubation.  All 
incubators  are  self  regulating;  that  is,  they  have  some 
mechanical  device  for  keeping  the  heat  stationary.  They 
require  nothing  on  the  part  of  the  breeder  save  the  keeping 
up  of  the  fire  and  the  turning  of  the  eggs.     This  must  be 


INCUBATION  67 

done  once  or  twice  a  day  from  the  third  to  the  eighteenth 
day  of  incubation.  The  eggs  must  also  be  cooled  and  aired 
each  day  for  about  thirty  minutes  at  the  time  they  are 
turned.  The  construction  of  the  incubator  is  so  simple  that 
it  is  almost  impossible  to  have  bad  results  with  them  if 
instructions  are  followed  (Fig.  49). 

REVIEW 

1.  Tell  how  to  improve  the  flock. 

2.  Describe    a   fowl    of   high   vitality. 

3.  Describe  a   fowl  of  low  vitality. 

4.  Describe  a  good  egg  type. 

5.  Describe  a  good  meat  type. 

QUESTIONS 

1.  What  is   incubation? 

2.  What  is  the  natural  method  of  incubation  ? 

3.  Name  the  parts   of  an   egg. 

4.  Give  the  composition  of  the  yolk  and  albumen. 

5.  Where   is  the  germ  located? 

6.  How  long  does  it  take  a  chick  to  develop? 

7.  Tell   something  of   incubators. 

8.  Why  should  eggs  be  turned? 

9.  What  temperature  should  be  maintained? 
10.  How  does  a  chick  get  out  of  the  shell? 

HOME  WORK 

Select  a  good  meat  type  and  a  good  egg  type  from  among  the  fowls 
at  home. 


LESSOX  XVI 
Brooding 

It  is  natural  for  the  hen  to  brood  her  young  chicks — that 
is,  to  care  for  them  until  they  are  old  enough  to  care  for 
themselves.  The  good  mother  does  not  leave  her  nest  as  soon 
as  a  few  of  her  chicks  are  hatched.  Often  her  chicks  are 
two  days  old  before  the  hen  gets  off  her  nest.  Even  after 
that  she  looks  after  them  carefully.  She  protects  them 
from  danger,  and  shelters  them  under  her  wings  from  cold 
and  rain.  She  keeps  them  from  going  astray  and  finds  food, 
such  as  seeds  and  insects,  for  them.  She  valiantly  fights  off 
any  intruders. 

After  the  chicks  are  hatched,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  place 
the  hen  in  a  brooding  coop  (Fig.  50).  This  coop  should 
consist  simply  of  a  hover,  with  a  runway  in  front  of  it.  The 
runway  should  be  fenced  with  slats  close  enough  together  to 
keep  the  hen  from  getting  out,  yet  not  close  enough  to  pre- 
vent the  little  chicks  from  going  through.  Such  a  coop  can 
be  placed  in  the  yard  or  garden,  or  in  any  out-of-the-way 
place.  As  the  chickens  grow  older,  they  will  learn  to  range 
farther  and  farther,  and  yet  will  have  the  coop  to  run  to  in 
case  of  danger,  and  to  go  to  at  night. 

When  chicks  must  be  cared  for  without  the  hen,  artificial 
brooders  must  be  used.     There  are  many  kinds  of  brooders. 
68 


BROODING  69 

Some  are  made  to  be  placed  inside  a  building,  while  some 
are  built  so  that  they  can  be  used  outside.  There  are  heated 
brooders  which  are  heated  by  means  of  oil,  coal,  gas,  or  elec- 
tricity, in  much  the  same  manner  as  an  incubator,  and  fire- 
less  brooders  which  are  dependent  upon  the  body  heat  of 


Fig.  50. — Brooding  coop. 


the  chicks.    There  are  brooder  stoves  made  which  will  heat 
an  entire  room. 

Of  course,  natural  brooding  has  some  advantages  over 
artificial  brooding.  A  hen  will  take  care  of  the  chicks  while 
tlie  owner  is  away — will  fight  enemies  such  as  hawks  and 


70  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

will  protect  the  chicks  from  sudden  showers.  There  is  no 
danger  of  fire  with  a  natural  brooder,  and  the  chicks  are  not 
often  smothered  by  crowding,  as  they  sometimes  are  in  an 
artificial  brooder.  But  on  the  other  hand,  an  artificial 
brooder  can  take  care  of  many  more  chicks  than  a  hen ;  and 
the  dangers  it  exposes  them  to  are  not  much  more  serious 
than  those  they  are  likely  to  experience  when  mothered  by 
a  hen.  Little  chicks  are  often  exposed  by  the  hen  to  ver- 
min. Occasionally  they  are  killed  by  their  mothers,  who 
fight  them,  step  on  them,  or  draggle  them  through  wet 
grass. 

REVIEW 

1.  Define   natural   and  artificial   incubation. 

2.  Tell  all  you  can  about  the  different  parts  of  an  egg. 

3.  Give  the  effects  of  the  drying  of  an  egg. 

4.  Describe  fully  a  hatching  box. 

5.  Describe  an  incubator. 

QUESTIONS 

1.  What  does  the  hen  do  for  the  baby  chick? 

2.  What  does  the  chick  do  for  food  just  after  hatching? 

3.  What  should  a  chick  be  fed  first? 

4.  What  changes  should  be  made  in  the  food? 

5.  Describe  a  good  brood  coop  for  hen   and  chickens. 
G,  Give  some  advantages  of  a  brood  coop. 

7.  What  is  a  brooder? 

8.  Name  the  different  kinds  of  brooders. 

9.  Give  some  advantages  of  both  natural  and  artificial  brooding. 
JO    Give  some  disadvantages  of  each. 

HOME  WORK 
Make  a  good  brood  coop  for  a  hen   and  chickens. 


LESSOR  XVII 

El^EMIES 

It  is  natural  for  some  animals  to  live  by  eating  plants. 
Others  live  by  eating  both  plants  and  animals ;  while  still 
others  live  upon  animals  alone.  The  last  two  classes  in- 
clude the  enemies  of  poultry,  such  as  rats,  cats,  skunks, 
hawks,  crows,  lice,  mites,  and  so  forth. 

Rats  are  thought  to  do  more  harm  to  the  poultry  indus- 
try than  any  other  enemy  excepting  lice.  They  usually 
catch  little  chickens  at  night,  and  kill  them  by  biting  them 
through  the  heads.  Then  they  suck  the  blood,  and  drag  the 
dead  chickens  away  and  hide  them  in  some  out-of-the-way 
place.  Skunks  kill  chicks  in  very  much  the  same  way  as 
rats,  though  they  usually  leave  some  of  tlie  dead  chickens 
where  they  have  killed  them,  dragging  off  only  one  or  two 
to  their  dens,  for  food  for  their  young.  House  cats,  also, 
often  catch  and  kill  small  chickens  during  the  daytime; 
but  they  are  very  sly  about  it,  so  they  are  usually  thought  to 
be  innocent.  The  surest  way  to  combat  these  enemies  is  to 
build  the  coops  and  houses  so  that  they  cannot  get  in. 

In  timbered  regions,  hawks  are  a  great  menace  to  chicks. 
The  only  way  to  protect  the  chicks  against  them  is  to  kill  the 

71 


72  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

hawks.  Sometimes  they  can  be  shot;  or  often  they  can  be 
trapped  with  a  steel  trap  placed  on  a  high  pole  near  the 
place  Avhere  the  chicks  range. 

Crows  often  prove  as  dangerous  as  hawks.  If  they  once 
start  catching  little  chicks^  they  wall  w^ork  diligently, 
sometimes  carrying  off  almost  an  entire  flock  in  a  single 
day.  It  is  much  easier  to  trap  or  shoot  a  crow,  however, 
than  a  hawk;  for  the  crow  seems  to  forget  danger  when 
interested  in  its  prey,  while  the  hawk  is  always  on  the  alert. 

Owls  work  at  night.  The  screech  owl,  which  makes 
the  wild,  weird  sound  at  night,  does  very  little  damage  to 
poultry,  as  it  feeds  chiefly  on  mice;  but  the  great  horned 
owl  is  a  powerful  enemy.  It  knocks  large  fowls  off  the  roost 
at  night,  and  makes  short  work  of  them,  while  they  are 
stunned  by  their  fall.  A  steel  trap  on  the  top  of  a  pole  near 
the  hen  roost  is  usually  effective  in  putting  an  end  to  the 
owl  robber. 

Although  all  of  these  larger  enemies  are  powerful  ones, 
lice  and  mites  are  by  far  the  most  desti'uctive  foes  of  poul- 
try. The  louse  is  a  parasite  which  makes  its  home  on  the 
body  of  the  f owd,  and  gets  its  living  by  sucking  the  chicken's 
blood.  There  are  two  effective  methods  of  killing  lice. 
One  is  by  giving  the  chickens  a  dusty  place  to  scratch  in. 
The  dust  fills  the  breathing  pores  of  the  lice,  and  smothers 
them.     Another  wav  of  trettini>-  rid  of  the  pests  is  by  the 


ENEMIES  73 

use  of  ointments.  A  good  ointment  for  this  purpose 
is  made  of  one  part  (by  weight)  of  mercury,  tliree 
parts  of  lard,  and  three  parts  of  tallow,  melted  together  and 
mixed  thoroughly  while  cooling.  A  small  quantity  of  this 
mixture,  used  about  the  head  and  vent  of  the  fowl,  usually 
kills  all  the  lice  on  its  body. 

This  remedy,  however,  will  not  prove  effective  against 
mites.  Mites  make  their  home  in  the  cracks  of  the  hen 
house,  in  the  roosts,  or  in  the  straw  under  the  nests.  They 
suck  the  fowl's  blood  at  night,  and  hide  themselves  in  their 
homes  during  the  day.  Since  the  pests  live  on  filth  when  the 
chickens  are  not  present,  it  does  no  good  to  shut  the  fowls 
out  of  the  house  for  a  time  unless  the  house  is  thoroughly 
cleaned.  The  best  way  to  get  rid  of  mites  is  to  remove  all 
straw  or  litter  and  then  to  spray  the  inside  of  the  house 
thoroughly  with  equal  parts  of  crude  carbolic  acid  and 

coal  oil. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  lice  and  mites  weaken 
the  bird  until  it  becomes  an  easy  prey  to  all  sorts  of  diseases. 
Often  people  treat  their  chickens  for  various  ailments  with- 
out ever  discovering  the  primary  causes — lice  and  mites. 
Chickens  that  are  free  from  these  body  pests  will  be  likely  to 
thrive  better  and  to  prove  better  paying  propositions  to  their 
owners  than  those  that^  through  ignorance  or  neglect,  are 
allowed  to  suffer  from  the  parasites. 


74  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

REVIEW 

1.  Explain  how  a  baby  cliick  should  be  fed  for  the  first  ten  days 

after  hatching. 

2.  Describe  a  good   brooding  coop. 

3.  Describe    a   brooder. 

4.  Name  some  of  the  advantages  of  a  brooder. 

5.  Name  some  of  the  disadvantages  of  a  brooder. 

QUESTIONS 

1.  Name  some  enemies  of  poultry. 

2.  What  are  the  habits  of  rats  and  skunks? 

3.  What  is  the  best  method  of  controlling  them? 

4.  When  and  how  do  cats,  hawks  and  crows  catch  young  fowls? 

5.  How  can  they  be  controlled? 

G.  When  do  owls  work,  and  how  can  they  be  caught? 

7.  What  are  the  habits  of  lice? 

8.  Give   methods   of    control.     . 

9.  What  are  the  habits  of  mites? 
10.  Give  methods  of  control. 

HOME  WORK 

Collect  some  lice  and  mites  in  a  small  bottle  and  describe  the  size, 
shape,  and  number  of  legs  of  each.  Examine  them  through  a 
magnifying   glass    if    possible. 


LESSON  XVIII 
Diseases 

The  old  adage,  ''  An  ounce  of  prevention  is  worth  a 
pound  of  cure,"  is  nowhere  truer  than  in  the  treatment  of 
poultry  diseases.  A  sick  chicken  should  always  be  a  signal 
to  warn  the  poultryman  that  something  is  wrong.  He 
should  immediately  try  to  find  and  remove  the  cause  of  the 
ailment.  Then  he  should  proceed  to  the  treatment  of  the 
fowl. 

Of  all  the  diseases  that  come  to  poultry,  the  least  under- 
stood and  the  hardest  to  handle  is  roup.  This  disease  is 
usually  considered  to  be  the  last  stage  of  a  bad  cold.  When 
the  fowl  first  takes  cold,  the  corners  of  its  eyes  froth,  and 
it  is  subject  to  frequent  sneezing.  After  a  few  days,  the 
head  swells  on  one  or  both  sides  in  front  of  the  eyes.  Then 
the  entire  head  swells,  and  the  breath  becomes  very  offen- 
sive. 

The  cold  is  evidently  caused  originally  by  an  alternate 
heating  and  chilling  of  the  fowl's  body,  sometimes  as  a 
result  of  drafts  in  its  sleeping  quarters,  or  of  the  chickens 
standing  in  groups  on  the  wet  ground  in  the  yard  when  the 
weather  is  windy.  If  the  house  is  the  cause  of  the  trouble, 
do  away  with  the  drafts.    If  the  chickens  seem  to  be  catch- 

75 


76  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

ing  cold  ill  the  poultry  yards,  keep  them  in  the  houses  on 
bad  days. 

There  are  two  other  diseases  which  many  claim  are 
related  to  roup — -chicken  pox,  or  sore  head,  and  canker. 
Chicken  pox  affects  the  unfeathered  parts  of  the  head.  It 
first  appears  as  a  blister;  later,  a  dark,  hard  scab  forms. 
Canker  consists  of  sore  spots  in  the  mouth.  These  spots  are 
often  covered  with  a  thick  coat  or  yellowish  scab. 

^o  one  has  been  able  to  show  exactly  what  the  relation 
between  these  three  diseases  is,  but  it  is  certain,  at  least,  that 
they  respond  to  the  same  treatment.  Creolin  or  zenoleum  is 
a  good  remedy  when  applied  directly  to  the  affected  parts. 
As  a  system  treatment,  the  following  often  proves  effective : 

Magnesium    sulphate      (. 10  oz. 

Magnesium   oxide 1  oz. 

Sulphate    of    iron    2  oz. 

Ground   ginger 2  oz. 

Sulphur     3  oz. 

Give  1  teaspoonful  to  12  fowls  in  moist  mash  each  morning  for 
3  mornings  then  discontinue  till  needed.  For  severe  cases  double 
the  dose. 

Another  common  disease  of  poultry  is  gapes.  This  is 
caused  by  a  small  worm  which  fastens  itself  to  the  inside  of 
the  windpipe  of  a  fowl,  and  lives  by  sucking  the  bird's  blood. 
A  fowl  afflicted  with  gapes  stands  in  a  drooping  position,  fre- 
quently gaping  and  showing  signs  of  irritation  in  the  throat. 


DISEASES  77 

Since  the  gape  worm  lives  in  the  earth  and  is  picked  up  by 
the  fowls  from  the  soil,  the  best  way  to  eradicate  it  is  to 
move  the  chickens  to  a  new  place,  and  then  to  apply  lime  to 
the  infected  soil.  The  ground  should  be  cultivated  for  one 
or  two  years,  and  should  afterwards  be  sown  in  grass.  It  is 
not  safe  to  move  the  chickens  back  until  the  infected  place 
has  been  in  grass  for  at  least  a  year. 

Before  treating  a  fowl  for  the  gapes,  it  is  well  to  make 
sure  that  the  chicken  is  really  suffering  from  the  disease.  A 
good  remedy  for  the  ailment  is  to  put  the  fowls  in  a  box 
or  barrel  and  to  sift  dry,  air-slaked  lime  over  them.  The 
breathing  of  the  dust  by  the  fowls  dislodges  the  worms. 
Care  must  be  taken,  however,  not  to  use  enough  lime  to  suf- 
focate the  chickens  themselves. 

Limber  neck  is  not  a  disease  in  itself,  but  is  a  condition 
resulting,  usually,  from  ptomaine  poisoning,  though  acute 
indigestion  sometimes  produces  the  same  symptoms.  It  can 
be  transmitted  from  a  dead  fowl  to  a  live  one,  if  the  live  bird 
is  permitted  to  eat  of  the  carcass  of  a  fowl  that  died  of 
limber  neck.  Accordingly,  it  is  well  to  burn  all  the  dead 
chickens  that  might  transmit  the  trouble. 

Scaly  leg  is  a  rough,  irregular  growth  on  the  feet  and 
legs,  caused  by  a  mite  much  smaller  than  that  which  infests 
the  poultry  houses.  This  mite  works  its  way  underneath 
the  scales  on  a  chicken's  feet  and  legs,  and  causes  an  extra 
growth  there.    Like  most  parasites,  it  thrives  better  in  filth, 


78  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

and  is  sure  to  flourish  on  the  feet  of  poultry  that  are  allowed 
to  roost  in  filthy  quarters.  Two  or  tliree  applications  of 
equal  parts  of  lard  and  sulphur  usually  will  cleanse  the  feet 
and  legs  of  a  fowl  that  is  suffering  from  this  pest. 

Baby  chicks  are  often  afflicted  with  diseases  caused  by 
their  being  too  warm  or  too  cold,  or  by  their  being  fed  too 
young.  They  are  also  subject  to  white  diarrhoea,  a  germ 
disease.  The  best  way  to  prevent  these  diseases  is  to  exer- 
cise care  in  housing  and  feeding  the  little  chicks,  as  directed 
in  Lessons  XII  and  XIII. 

REVIEW 

1.  What  is  the  worst  enemy  to  poultry? 

2.  Tell   liow   to   control   hawks   and   crows. 

3.  Tell  how  to  control  rats  and  skunks. 

4.  How  can  we  control  lice? 

5.  How  can  we  control  mites? 

QUESTIONS 

1.  What  is  the  first  step  in  controlling  diseases? 

2.  What  is  the  beginning  of  roup? 

3.  Give  symptoms  and  remedy  for  roup. 

4.  Give  symptoms  and  remedy  for  canker. 

5.  Give  symptoms  and  remedy  for  chicken  pox    (sore  head). 

6.  Give  symptoms  and  remedy  for  limber  neck. 

7.  Give  symptoms  and  remedy  for  gapes. 

8.  Give  symptoms  and  remedy  for  scaly  legs. 

9.  If  fowls  have  a  cold  where  would  you  look  for  the  trouble? 
10.  If  they  catch  cold  in  the  yard  what  can  be  done? 

HOME  WORK 
Find  two  diseases  in  the  flock  at  home  and  remedv  them. 


LESSOR  XIX 

Cake  and  Management 

Almost  all  poultry  will  sooner  or  later  be  used  for  food 
purposes.  Since  this  is  the  case,  each  fowl  should  be 
properly  fattened  before  being  sold.  In  selecting  chickens 
for  market,  it  is  wise  to  choose  those  which  will  not  prove 
profitable  for  egg-laying  or  breeding  purposes.  A  hen  is 
not  profitable  as  an  egg-producer  after  her  second  laying 
season ;  so  all  the  old  hens  should  be  disposed  of.  Inasmuch 
as  weak  fowls  are  likely  to  produce  weak  chicks,  all  those 
that  show  indications  of  weakness  should  be  selected  for 
market.  Fowlr:  with  long,  straight  necks,  straight  beaks, 
knock  knees,  and  so  forth,  are  not  usually  profitable. 
Accordingly,  the  sooner  they  are  turned  into  cash,  the  bet- 
ter. At  the  close  of  the  hatching  season  all  male  birds 
should  be  sold  save  those  to  be  kept  for  the  next  year's  breed- 
ing season.  There  is  a  double  advantage  in  selling  them  off, 
since  infertile  eggs  are  better  in  quality  and  keep  much 
longer  than  fertile  eggs.  Any  pullets  having  serious  defects, 
such  as  crooked  backs  or  wry  tails,  should  be  disposed  of. 

When  the  young  birds  that  are  to  be  sold  weigh  from  one 
to  two  pounds,  they  should  be  placed  in  a  coop  or  small  pen 
and  fed  on  cracked  corn,  wheat  middlings,  wheat  bran,  and 

79 


80  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

sour  milk  for  about  ten  days  before  being  placed  on  the 
market. 

Since  a  great  deal  of  the  profit  in  keeping  chickens 
comes  from  the  sale  of  the  eggs,  it  is  necessary  that  the  eggs 
be  in  first  class  condition  when  placed  on  the  market.  They 
should  be  kept  as  carefully  as  milk  and  butter  during  the 
summer  months.  At  all  times,  they  should  be  clean ;  for 
clean  eggs  are  more  attractive,  and  secure  higher  prices  than 
dirty  ones.  It  is  easy  to  ensure  clean  eggs,  if  good  nests  with 
plenty  of  fresh  straw  are  provided.  The  straw  also  prevents 
the  eggs  from  being  cracked,  as  has  been  mentioned  before ; 
and  an  egg  that  is  sound  will  keep  much  longer  than  one 
with  a  crack  in  it. 

An  egg  should  be  nicely  shaped  if  intended  for  market. 
Since  small  eggs  turn  down  on  their  sides  in  the  egg  fillers, 
and  very  large  ones  stand  up  so  high'  that  the  eggs  above 
break  them,  eggs  of  an  average  weight  of  about  two  ounces 
should  be  selected  for  market.  Those  larger  and  smaller 
should  be  kept  for  home  use. 

In  order  to  be  sure  of  having  fresh  eggs,  the  eggs  should 
be  collected  every  day.  If  hens  sit  on  eggs  even  over  night, 
the  germ  begins  to  develop.  After  two  days  of  incubation, 
the  eggs  are  unfit  for  food.  Moreover,  hens  must  be 
watched  and  prevented  from  "  stealing  '^  their  nests.  Often 
they  hide  their  eggs  in  out-of-the-way  places,  and  by  the 
time  the  nest  is  discovered,  the  eggs  have  been  spoiled  by  the 


CARE  AND  MANAGEMENT  81 

heat  of  the  sun.  In  order  to  ensure  a  reputation  for  reliabil- 
ity, always  test  with  a  candle  any  doubtful  eggs  before  tak- 
ing them  to  market.  It  is  a  good  plan,  oftentimes,  to  sell  to 
dealers  who  buy  '^  loss  off  " — that  is,  who  test  the  eggs  them- 
selves, and  pay  only  for  the  good  ones.  If  you  wish  to  mar- 
ket ^'  strictly  fresh  "  eggs,  they  should  be  disposed  of  twice 
a  week  if  possible. 

With  jioultry,  as  with  everything  else,  care  and  prompt- 
ness are  two  of  the  chief  secrets  of  success.  Especial  care 
should  be  exercised  in  seeing  that  the  fowls  get  food  con- 
taining the  proper  elements  for  fattening  or  for  Q^g  produc- 
tion ;  and  that  the  baby  chicks  are  given  proper  rations.  On 
many  farms,  the  supply  of  sharp  grit  is  all  used  up.  When 
this  is  the  case,  grit  must  be  furnished  to  the  chickens. 
Crushed  rock  answers  this  purpose  admirably.  Care  should 
be  taken  also  to  ensure  to  the  chickens  a  constant  supply  of 
clean,  fresh  water.  Unless  the  water  is  in  very  large  vessels, 
it  must  be  renewed  oftener  than  once  or  twice  a  day. 

Promptness  in  discovering  and  arresting  disease  has 
helped  many  a  poultryman  to  prosperity.  It  is  a  good  prac- 
tice to  look  over  the  flock  each  day,  in  order  to  discover  any 
disease  before  it  gains  a  foothold.  The  fowl  which  seems 
sick  or  drooping  should  be  immediately  separated  from  the 
rest  of  the  flock  in  order  to  prevent  the  spread  of  contagion ; 
and  the  poultryman  should  spray  the  houses  and  coops  regu- 
larly, without  waiting  for  disease  to  appear. 


82  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

It  will  be  found  that  the  work  of  poultry  house  and  vard 
can  be  done  much  more  easily  and  quickly  if  a  little  fore- 
sight is  used  in  the  location  of  the  buildings.  They  should  be 
so  situated  as  to  be  convenient  to  the  other  farm  buildings 
and  to  each  other.  It  is  a  good  plan,  also,  to  have  in  the  poul- 
try house  bins  which  will  hold  a  large  amount  of  feed  so  that 
it  will  not  be  necessary  to  go  to  the  barn  for  feed  a  couple 
of  times  a  day.  It  is  attention  to  details  such  as  the^^e  that 
distinguishes  the  good  business  man  from  the  poor  one, 
and  the  thrifty  farmer  from  one  that  is  shiftless. 

REVIEW 

1.  Which   is  better,  a  preventative  or  a  cure?     Why? 

2.  Tell  all  you   can  of  roup. 

3.  How  would  you  treat  canker? 

4.  What  are  gapes  and  how  are  they  controlled? 

5.  How  can  you  control  scaly  leg? 

QUESTIONS 

1.  What  is  necessary  to  success  in  poultry? 

2.  What  is  the  final  use  of  most  poultry? 

3.  Give  a  ration  for  small  chicks. 

4.  What   is  grit  for? 

5.  Can  fowls  live  without  it? 

6.  Give  some  points  which   indicate   that  a   fowl   is   not  profitable 

for    laying    or    breeding    purposes    and    should    be    sold    on    the 
market. 

7.  What  results  from  hens  stealing  their  nests? 

8.  How  often  should  eggs  be  sold? 

9.  How   do  you   candle  eggs? 

10.  Wliat  are  the  advantages  of  good  nests? 

HO:NrE  WORK 
Select  two  profitable  and  two  unprofitable  birds  at  home. 


LESSON  XX 
Review 


ANSWER    ANY    FIFTY    QUESTIONS.       TWO    PER    CENT.    WILL    BE    ALLOWED 
FOR  EACH   CORRECT  ANSWER 


1.  What  does  poultry  mean? 

2.  Why   sliould   we   study   poul- 

3.  Who  grow  poultry? 

4.  What  is  comparison  judging? 

5.  What   is   score-card  judging? 

6.  Where     are     eggs     used     for 
food? 

7.  Name   the   parts   of   poultry 
used  for   food. 

8.  Name  the  sections  of  a  fowl. 

9.  Give  the  history  of  the  meat 
breeds. 

10.  Give   the  history   of   the  egg 
breeds. 

11.  Give  the  history  of  the  dual- 
purpose  breeds. 

12.  Compare     White     Plymouth 
Rock  and  White  Orpington. 

13.  Compare        Buff       Plymouth 
Rock  and  Buff  Cochin. 

14.  Compare      Black      Langshan 
and   Black   Minorca. 

15.  Name  the  solid-colored  fowls. 

16.  Name  the  parti-colored  fowls. 

17.  Describe     the     Barred     Ply- 
mouth Rock. 

18.  Describe    the    Silver    Wyan- 
dotte. 

19.  Describe  the  White  Leghorn. 


20.  Describe   the   Light   Brahma. 

21.  Describe    the    White    Wyan- 
dotte. 

22.  Describe   the   Houdan. 

23.  Why    should    poultry    houses 
be   ventilated? 

24.  Describe  a  good  location  for 
a    poultry    house. 

25.  Describe      a      good      poultry 
house. 

2G.  Describe  a  colony  house. 

27.  How     should     the    house    be 
equipped? 

28.  How  many  nests  are  needed? 

29.  Where    should    the    nests    be 
placed  ? 

30.  Describe    a    broody    coop. 

31.  Describe  a   feed  hopper. 

32.  How     should     the     yard     be 
divided? 

33.  Which    fowls     should    be    in 
breeding    pen? 

34.  What     is     tlio     best     shaped 
yard  ? 

35.  What  is  the  natural  food  of 
the    fowl? 

36.  Give   a   good   feed,  rat  ion   for 
hens. 

37.  Give  a   good   feed   ration   for 
baby  chicks. 

83 


84  TWENTY  LESSONS  ON  POULTRY  KEEPING 

38.  Name  tlie  internal  organs  of  48.  Name  the  three  most  common 
a   hen.  diseases  of  poultry. 

39.  Tell  the  work   done  by  each  49.  Give   causes    and    remedy   of 
organ.  each. 

40.  Should   breeds  be  crossed?  50.  Describe  the  liealthy  type  of 

41.  Give   some   points  that  indi-  chicken. 

cate  high  and  low  vitality.  51.  Describe  the  type  to  cull  and 

42.  What  is  an   incubator?  sell. 

43.  Name   the   parts   of   an    egg.  52,  What  is  a  good  fattening  ra- 

44.  What     is     the     temperature  tion? 

necessary  to  incubate  eggs?  53.  Why  is  regular  feeding  nec- 

45.  Explain     natural     and     arti-  essary? 

ficial  brooding.  54.  Why  is  a  balanced  feed  neces- 

46.  Name  tliree  enemies  of  poul-  sarv? 

try.  55.  How    should    eggs    be    cared 

47.  Give    method    of    controlling  fQj.? 
each. 


D.  H.  HILL  LIBRARY 

North  Carolina  State  College 


APPENDIX 

GLOSSARY  OF  TECHNICAL  TERMS. 

Babring:     Bars   extending  across  a  feather  at  right  angles   to   its 

length,   or  nearly   so. 
Beard:    In  chickens,  a  group  of  feathers  pendent  from  the  throat, 

as  in  Houdans  and  Polish.     In  turkeys,  a  tuft  of  coarse,  bristly 

hairs,   four  to  six   inches   long,  projecting   from   upper   part  of 

breast  of  mature  males. 
Beak:  The  projecting  mouth  parts  of  chickens  and  turkeys,  consist- 
ing of  upper  and  lower  mandibles. 
Bill:  The  projecting  mouth  parts  of  water  fowl  consisting  of  upper 

and  lower  mandibles. 
Blade:    The  rear  part  of  a  single  comb,  back  of  the  last  well-defined 

point,  usually  extending  beyond  the  crown  of  the  head. 
Breed:  A  race  of  fowls,  the  members  of  which  maintain  distinctive 

shape  characteristics  that  they  possess  in  common.     Breed  is  a 

broader    term    than    variety.    Bre^d    includes    varieties,    as,    for 

example,  the  Barred,  White,  and  Buff  varieties  of  the  Plymouth 

Rock  breed. 
Brood:    All  the  young  birds  hatched  or  cared  for  at  one  time  by  one 

mother,  or  in  one  brooder. 
Chicks:    The  young  of  the  domestic  hen,  properly  applied  until  the 

sex  can  be  distinguished;  sometimes  used  to  designate  specimens 

less  than  one  year  old. 
Cock  :  A  male  fowl  one  year  old  and  over. 
Cockerel:    A  male  fowl  less  than  one  year  old. 
Comb:  The  fleshy  protuberance  growing  on  the  top  of  a  fowl's  head. 

The  standard  varieties  of  combs  are :  Single,  rose,  pea,  V-shaped, 

and  strawberry,  all  others  being  modifications  of  these. 
Condition:   The  state  of  a  fowl  as  regards  health,  cleanliness,  and 

order  of  plumage. 
Crop:   The  receptacle  in  which  a  fowl's  food  is  accumulated  before 

it  passes    into   the  gizzard. 
Disqualification:    A  deformity  or  serious  defect  that  renders  a 

fowl  unworthy  to  win  a  prize. 

85 


86  APPENDIX 

Disqualified:  Term  applied  to  a  fowl  that  is  iinwortliy  to  Avin  a 
prize. 

Dowx:  Tlie  first  hair}^  covering  of  chicks;  also  tlie  tiny  tufts  of 
hair-like  growth  that  sometimes  are  found  on  the  shanks,  toes, 
or  feet,  of  fowls, 

Drake:    A  male  of  the  duck  family. 

Duck:  A  female  of  the  duck  family,  as  disprior  to  the  development 
of  feathers. 

Ear-lobes:  The  folds  of  bare  skin  just  below  the  ears,  sometimes 
called  "  deer-ears."  Ear-lobes  vary  in  color  in  different  breeds, 
being  red,  white,  purple,  cream,  and  so  forth ;  they  also  vary 
greatly  in  size. 

Fluff:  The  soft  feathers  about  thighs  and  posterior  part  of  a  fowl; 
also  the  soft,  downy  under-part  of  a  feather. 

Gills:    A  term  that  is  applied  to  the  wattles. 

Hackle:  The  neck  plumage  of  either  sex,  formed  of  the  hackle 
feathers. 

KxocK-K^'EED:  A  deformity  in  which  the  legs  come  too  near  together 
at  the  knee-joints  and  are  bent  outward,  laterally,  below  the 
knees. 

Mealy:  Having  the  appearance  of  being  sprinkled  with  meal.  Ap- 
plied to  buff  varieties  where  the  ground  color  is  stippled  with  a 
lighter  color. 

Parti-colored  :    Feathers  or  fowls  of  two  or  more  colors. 

Pea  COMB:  A  triple  comb,  of  medium  length,  resembling  three 
straight,  single  combs  placed  parallel  with  one  another,  and 
joined  at  base  and  fear,  each  having  short  but  distinctly  divided 
serrations,  the  serrations  of  the  two  outer  rows  being  lower 
and  smaller  than  those  of  the  middle  row,  and  those  of  each 
row  being  larger  and  somewhat  thicker  midway  of  the  comb  than 
at  front  and  rear. 

Pen:  a  male  and  four  females. 

Penciling:  Small  markings  or  stripes  on  a  feather.  They  may  run 
straight  across,  as  in  the  penciled  Hamburgs,  in  wdiich  case  they 
frequently  are  called  bars,  or  may  follow  the  outline  of  a 
feather,  taking  a  crescentic  form,  as  in  the  Dark  Brahmas, 
Partridge  Cochins,  etc. 
Plumage:    The  feathers  of  a  fowl. 


APPENDIX  87 

Poult:  The  young  of  the  domestic  turkey,  properly  applied  until  the 
sex  can  be  distinguished,  when  they  become  cockerehj  and 
pullets. 

Poultry:  Domestic  fowls  reared  for  exhibition,  for  the  table,  or  for 
their  eggs  or  feathers. 

Primaries:  The  flight  feathers  of  the  wing,  hidden,  or  nearly  so, 
when  the  wing  is  close. 

Pullet:    A  female  fowl  less  than  one  year  old. 

Quill  :    The  hollow,  horny,  basal  part,  or  stem,  of  a  feather. 

Rose  comb:  A  low,  thick,  solid  comb,  the  upper  surface  of  which 
should  be  covered  with  small,  rounded  points.  This  comb  ter- 
minates in  a  well-developed  spike,  which  may  turn  upward  as  in 
Hamburgs;  be  nearly  level,  as  in  the  Rose-comb  Leghorns,  or 
turn  downward,  as  in  the  Wyandottes. 

Scaly  legs:  A  fowl's  legs  with  an  incrustation  or  deposit  upon  and 
beneath  the  scales. 

Secondaries:  The  long  quill  feathers  that  grow  on  the  second  joint 
or  fore-arm  of  a  fowl's  wing,  visible  when  the  wing  is  folded. 
With  the  primaries,  they  constitute  the  main  feathers  of  the 
wing. 

Solid  color — self  color:    A  uniform  color,  unmixed  with  any  other. 

Serrated  :    Notched  along  the  edge  like  a  saw. 

Serration:    One  of  the  projections  of  a  serrate. 

Shaft:  The  stem  of  a  feather,  especially  the  part  filled  with  pith, 
which  bears  the  barbs. 

Shank  :  The  lower,  scaly  part  of  a  fowl's  leg,  exclusive  of  the  foot 
and    toes. 

Sickles:  The  long,  curved  feathers  of  a  male  bird's  tail,  properly 
applied  to  the  top  pair  only,  but  sometimes  used  in  referring 
to  the  prominent  tail  coverts,  which  also  are  called  lesser  sickles. 

Side  sprigs:  Extraneous,  well-defined  growths  on  the  side  of  a 
comb. 

Single  comb:  A  comb  consisting  of  a  single  thin,  fleshy  serrated 
formation,  rising  from  the  beak  and  extending  backward  over 
the  crown  of  the  head,  and,  in  males,  beyond  the  head. 

Spangle:  A  clearly-defined  marking  of  distinctive  color,  located  at 
the  end  of  a  feather. 

Spangled:     Plumage  made  up   of  spangled   feathers. 


88  APPENDIX 

Squirrel  tail:  A  fowl's  tail,  any  portion  of  which  projects  for- 
ward toward  the  neck,  beyond  a  perpendicular  line  drawn  from 
the  juncture  of  tail  and  back. 

Strain:  A  family  of  any  variety  of  fowls  bred  in  line  of  descent 
by  one  fancier,  or  a  successor,  during  a  number  of  years,  until 
it  has  acquired  individual  characteristics  which  distinguish  it 
more  or  less  from  other  strains  of  the  same  variety. 

Strawberry  comb:  Approaching  in  shape  the  outline  and  surface  of 
strawberry. 

Surface  color:  The  visible  color  of  the  plumage  when  a  fowl  is  at 
rest. 

Symmetry:  Perfection  of  proportion;  the  harmony  of  all  the  parts 
or  sections  of  a  fowl,  viewed  as  a  whole,  with  regard  to  the 
standard  type  of  the  breed  it  represents. 

Tail-feathers,  main  :  The  straight  and  stiff  feathers  of  the  tail  that 
are  contained  inside  the  sickles  and  tail-coverts;  the  top  pair 
are  sometimes  slightly  curved,  but  generally  are  straight. 

Thumb  mark:  A  disfiguring  depression  which  sometimes  appears  in 
the  side  of  a  single  comb. 

Toe  feathering:    The  feathers  on  the  toes  of  a  fowl. 

Trio:    One  male  and  two  females. 

Typical:  Expressing  a  characteristic,  in  color  or  form,  representative 
of  a  breed  or  variety ;  for  example,  '"  typical  shape  "  means  the 
form  peculiar  to  a  breed. 

Under  color:  The  color  of  the  downy  portion  of  the  plumage,  not 
visible   when   the  plumage   is   in   its   natural   position. 

Variety:  A  subdivision  of  a  breed  used  to  distinguish  fowls  hav- 
ing the  standard  shape  of  the  breed  to  which  they  belong,  but 
differing  in  color  of  plumage,  shape  of  comb,  etc.,  from  other 
groups  of  the  same  breed.  The  general  difference  between  the 
terms  breed  and  variety  is  well  brought  out  in  the  statement, 
popular  among  fanciers,  "  shape  ^makes  the  breed;  color  the 
variety." 

V-shaped  comb:  A  comb  formed  of  two  well-defined  horn-like  sec- 
tions. 

Wattles:  The  pendent  growths  at  the  sides  and  base  of  the  beak. 

\Yeb — WEB  of  FEATHER:  The  flat  or  plumed  portion  of  a  feather, 
made  up  of  a  series  of  barbs  on  either  side  of  the  shaft.  Web 
OF  FEET:  The  flat  skin  between  the  toes.  Web  of  w'ing:  The 
triangular  skin  attaching  the  wing  to  the  body,  visible  when 
wing  is  extended. 


APPENDIX  89 

CLUBS  AND  CONTESTS 

Much  good  can  be  had  from  the  holding  of  contests  in 
school  (Fig.  51).  Competitions  of  any  sort  have  the 
effect  of  stimulating  the  interest  of  the  pupils,  and  of 
encouraging  them  to  greater  efforts.  Many  contests  are  pos- 
sible in  connection  with  the  study  of  poultry.  A  very  inter- 
esting one  consists  of  the  naming  of  the  breeds  and  varieties 
by  the  pupils,  as  mentioned  in  Lessons  lY,  V,  and  VI. 

The  fowls  should  be  placed  in  numbered  coops.  The 
pupils  are  then  given  blank  cards  like  that  on  Page  13  ;  and 
are  told  to  pass  in  front  of  the  coops,  examining  the  poultry, 
and  writing  on  the  cards  the  name  and  description  of  each 
fowl.  The  child  who  names  tlie  fowls  and  gives  their  char- 
acteristics correctly  wins  the  contest.  In  case  of  a  tie,  the 
child  whose  spelling  is  the  best  wins.  If  there  is  still  a  tie, 
the  penmanship  on  the  card  will  decide  the  question. 

Another  good  contest  for  counties  where  annual  poul- 
try shows  are  held  consists  of  a  competition  among  the  chil- 
dren in  raising  fowls  to  be  entered  and  judged  at  the  county 
poultry  show.  Special  prizes  for  fowls  should  be  offered  for 
the  school  children ;  and  an  additional  prize  should  be  given 
for  the  best  exhibition  coop  made  by  a  pupil  (Fig.  52). 
These  coops  are  twenty-four  inches  from  front  to  back, 
thirty  inches  high,  and  forty  inches  long,  with  cloth  ends, 
backs  and  tops,  board  bottoms,  and  wire  fronts.  Every 
pupil  should  exhibit  the  fowls  he  raises  in  a  coop  of  his 
own  making  (Fig.  53). 


90 


APPENDIX 


Fig.  51. — Pupils  naming  breeds  and  varieties  from  pictures. 


Fig.  52. — Children  building  exhibition  coops  which  are  24  inches  from  the 
front  to  back,  30  inches  high  and  40  inche3  long,  with  cloth  ends,  back,  and  top,  board 
bottom,  and  wire  front. 


APPENDIX 


91 


Fig.   53. — Pupils  after  a  contest,  with  their  winnings. 


Fig.  54. — Pupils  with  chickens  which  they  have  brought  to  school. 


92  APPENDIX 

An  effective  contest  can  be  based  on  the  care  and  man- 
agement by  the  child  of  the  flock  at  home.  The  pupil  should 
keep  a  definite  and  accurate  record  of  all  feed  used  and  of 
the  cost  of  houses,  coops,  and  egg  cases.  He  should  also  keep 
a  record  of  all  eggs  used,  sold,  or  incubated.  These  records, 
together  with  a  three-page  essay  on  some  problem  con- 
nected with  poultry  raising,  will  serve  as  the  basis  of  the 
contest.  The  parents  should  co-operate  with  the  teacher 
by  seeing  that  the  pupil  does  the  work,  and  by  furnishing 
written  statements  of  the  amount  of  work  done  by  the  child. 
The  teacher  should  give  the  pupil  school  credit  for  the  work 
done  at  home. 

THE  SCHOOL  FAIR 
During  the  fall  season,  the  pupils  should  arrange  for  a 
one-day  fair.  On  that  day,  they  should  bring  to  school 
many  products  of  the  farm,  with  poultry  chief  among  them 
(Fig.  54).  The  parents  should  be  invited  to  be  present.  It 
will  not  be  hard  to  find  competent  men  who  will  be  willing 
to  assist  in  judging  the  poultry  and  other  products.  The 
American  Poultry  Association  has  members  in  every  school 
district,  who  will  be  glad  to  co-operate  in  this  work  and  to 
help  in  every  way  possible.  The  prizes  need  not  be  elab- 
orate. A  ribbon  often  means  just  as  much  to  a  child  as  an 
expensive  prize,  and  proves  just  as  successful  in  stimulating 
the  pupil  to  greater  efforts. 


